Titans on Remnant
by Atheus the World Traveler
Summary: Legends, stories scattered through time. Though mankind was fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, none of their tales prepared them for the appearance of two beings far surpassing them in every way. Nor how the two would carve their names into the history of Remnant. This is the legend of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, Remnant's resident Titans.
1. Emergence of Titans

**Welcome new and old viewers alike to the Titans on Remnant rewrite, Titans on Remnant Redux! Yea, I know, creative right? Anyway... I'm glad to be back and getting started again, and I'm thankful for everyone that is still here despite my long absence. I would also like to thank ****OjOrangejuiceofthewild, the great beta for this story****, as well as **** Rikudo Naruto156 for helping me out with some ideas and questions I had.**

**Update: Just got permission to use an art piece I really like for the image cover of this story. Credits go to Reddit user Pirateking (u/thefairyspriggan).**

**Now, on with the show!**

**Chapter 1 - Emergence of Titans**

* * *

It was over. He and Naruto had sealed Kaguya and ended the Fourth Shinobi War. With the alliance in place, the Elemental Nations could enter a state of peace. That's how it should go, right?

No. This so-called truce was only brought about by the fear of an overwhelming mutual threat. It was join hands or die. Now that the danger was gone, there was nothing left to keep this alliance together.

How long until the leaders of the five great nations decided they wanted another war? How many more would die from the envy and greed of their superiors?

"Now then, the rest is up to you, Sasuke."

That's right. To end the primordial goddess's technique, all that was left was for him to weave the sign of the rat simultaneously with Naruto. But before that...

"First, I'm executing the current five Kage trapped inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

The Uchiha could feel all eyes on him, some taking in deep breaths at his sudden announcement.

Did they not see what he did? How the cycle would continue repeating if nothing was done? He was going to take this chance to break this never-ending turn of events and change the world.

"Oh, and I'm putting all of you Tailed-Beasts under my control, and eventually, I'll get rid of you as well."

"What did you say?!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox raised an enormous claw, just to halt its movements as Sasuke's Rinnegan pulsed, placing it under a genjutsu, as well as the other beasts before they had a chance to react.

"Sasuke!" the Uchiha turned his head towards his former teacher. "Is this what your current dream is? Are you saying you're still seeking vengeance?!"

Kakashi Hatake... If anyone understood what Sasuke wanted, it would've been him. Kakashi of the Sharingan. An elite shinobi that had now participated in two Shinobi World Wars. In the third, he lost two of his closest friends. How many had he lost in this one? Yet, he still couldn't comprehend what the last Uchiha wanted.

"Answer me, Sasuke!"

"I admit, at one time all I wished for was pure destruction. My only wish was my revenge, but it's different now."

To purge this forsaken land.

"I will destroy and rebuild..."

To eradicate the twisted ideals of this reality.

"Rebuild a new world. One that cannot be tainted by darkness!"

What is necessary...

"What I'm pushing for..."

"Is a Revolution!"

With hands clapped together, he began to speak the words that would seal the great chakra beasts. Only for him to have stopped his technique as he caught the fist of an enraged Naruto Uzumaki.

"They just gained their freedom!" the blonde said. "Do you think I'm going to let you take that away from them?!"

He was close. So close to his dream. But just like always, there was only one thing standing in his way. Always... Always in his way!

Mismatched eyes of the Sharingan and Rinnegan met twin pools of sapphire.

"Everyone that could have stopped me is gone," Sasuke said. "The Kage in their slumber. The Tailed-Beasts under my genjutsu. But you. You're the only one standing in my way."

With a swift swing of his arm, the raven-haired boy threw his friend away from him. The blonde landed upright with no effort, his eyes never leaving the Uchiha. Sasuke matched his glare. His technique that kept the beasts at bay wouldn't last long, but he couldn't seal them with Naruto ready to jump him as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"I guess I'll have to deal with you first, Naruto."

While he had already planned to take out his only friend, it was a hindrance that sealing the beasts would have to come afterward.

Annoying.

Sasuke turned away, confident that the chakra monsters would remain trapped as he disposed of the only remaining piece of his past.

"Let's move this elsewhere," without waiting for a response he took off. To where their battle began...

And where it would end.

* * *

"Guard team reporting. The perimeter has been set around the village. How's everything on your end, Attack team?"

_Finally!_ Chandra thought to herself.

The red-headed woman felt her body ache as she lifted her gold-and-crimson armored body from the branch she had been laying on, shaking her head to dispel the grogginess that had begun to set in.

This was supposed to be just a simple graduation mission for her team and another fourth-year team, but her leader always had to have an over-complicated plan. Sure, it was a Village Security type job, but if they took out all the Grimm nearby before the creatures got close, then why would they need a party split for guard detail?

Chandra Fiametta swore to herself that when she obtained her Huntress license, she's only taking Search and Destroy missions.

"...andra … Chandra!"

_Oh damn!_ "I'm in position."

"Stop daydreaming-"

"But it's night."

A groan could be heard from her earpiece, "Varian, report."

Huh. Guess he decided to ignore her this time. It's the small blessings that really matter.

"The traps are in place."

"Ciarra?"

Chandra looked upwards to the broken moon, her eyes meeting the figure of Team Amethyst's leader, patches of her pale skin not covered by her onyx black dress illuminated by the lunar light. Two wings that matched her apparel spread across the sky. If Chandra didn't know better, she could believe that the raven faunus was an angel of darkness she had heard about in stories.

"In position. Melaina, begin the operation."

There was no reply, only the howls of monsters in the distance. From her position at the top of her perch, Chandra could see some kind of white beast running towards her. Behind it, a herd of bone-plated black creatures, eager to catch their prey.

"Hold."

As the now known white wolf came into the clearing, its rider a chocolate skinned girl dressed in a white top with jeans to match, the Grimm began to funnel in. In a swift movement, the wolf jumped high above thin strands of steel thread. The wire, unnoticed by the mix of Beowolves and Creeps, carved into the dark flesh of the mindless beasts, bisecting those that had attempted to push past.

Those behind the now dispersing creatures turned, changing course to the other openings on the left and right sides, Boarbatusk taking it upon themselves to charge. While meeting with the same steel thread, the hard-headed creatures were bounced back instead of being cleaved.

Varian's voice sounded through the group's earpiece, "Targets are gathered and ready for capture."

Several glyphs appeared in the night sky, extending outwards until covering the area around the Grimm. Once it stopped, several shadowy bars made their descent, creating a cage around the creatures, as well as Chandra and Varian, who had been close by.

"The birdcage is set. Extermination in progress."

Flames danced around the young woman's armor, her fire lighting up the night as she jumped into the mass of black beasts.

As she landed, the fiery woman was met with an Ursa's claw. With flawless movements, she removed a metallic cylinder from her left hip and swiped upwards. The assaulting appendage flew high in the air, detached by an inferno blade. Before it could register the loss of its limb, the Ursa had been cut in half by the same weapon.

As the Ursa dispersed in a smoky wisp, Chandra flipped, barely dodging a charging Boarbatusk. Landing directly behind it, she threw her arm back, piercing the head of a Beowolf, as a blaze erupted from the bottom of her boot. Propelled by the fire, Chandra flipped the off-guard boar-like creature into the air with her foot, its soft underbelly facing her as she swung her blade forward.

The defeated creature fell to the ground as the burning blade shot outward from its hilt, the projectile creating a firestorm on impact, ridding Remnant of another group of Grimm.

The woman let a feral grin spread across her face, pleased with her work, as nearly a dozen Creeps pounced towards her. Not bothering to take a single movement, the flames around her armor shifted, forming thin spikes and catching her attackers midair.

"Quit playing, and finish up."

Chandra looked behind her to see Ciarra sheathing her straight-edged sword, as at least ten of their opponents fell. Before the pyromancer could reply, the faunus was gone, blinking out of existence and appearing within range of another group of Grimm that met the same fate as the last.

In front of her, three Beowolves halted in their tracks, steel thread tightening around their necks. Behind them, a man her age with mismatched eyes and an odd hair color combination of mint green and dark crimson. His extended fingers, the tips equipped with claws, closed, removing the beasts' heads in one swift movement.

Green and red eyes met her amber orbs, and with a nod, he threw his hands outwards. From the tips extended the deadly strings, wrapping around the nearest Grimm before traveling to another. In an instant, the dark beasts were held captive, struggling to make a move of their own. Igniting a small flame on her finger, she held it under a thread nearest her. The string never burned away as the blaze spread throughout all the connected threads.

Varian cut loose the strings from his clawed fingers as the ensnared creatures howled in agony as they burned to nothing.

He spun around, the palm of his left hand forcing the jaw of a Beowolf closed. With his right, the man grasped the throat of his enemy, his sharp tips penetrating his captive, and he pulled. The Grimm fell, flailing in pain, before the man's foot came down on its head, ending the creatures unnatural life.

Almost as soon as it began, the battle ended. The remains of the Grimm slowly disappearing as the cage that held them vanished. The flames around Chandra dispersed, though the trees and plant life around them continued to burn.

Walking towards them, the raven faunus frowned, "Have you so little control over your semblance that you must burn everything around you?"

"I do not burn everything!"

Varian spoke up, "Well, there was that time at initiation."

"And then that pillow fight during our second year," came the soft voice of Colette Lune over the earpiece.

Melaina approached the group, several more white wolves at her back, "And let's not forget about when Yeong-Ho-"

"I get it. I get it!" Chandra interrupted. What happened to girl-friend confidentiality?

"What about me?" Team Mocha's leader asked.

"Nothing!"

Varian and Melaina smirked at the flustered woman.

However, Ciarra was not amused, "Just put out these flames before they spread."

Chandra choked back her retort as she began to pull the blaze towards here. The job was done, now they just needed to meet up with the guard team and report their success.

The air around them began to vibrate. Before they knew it, the group was being pulled backward by an invisible force.

They each fought against the pull. Melaina, her back against the pack of wolves that were one by one lifted into the air, pulled out an art pad. With practiced skill, she hurriedly completed a drawing using dust paint. Infusing the picture with aura, a golem, white as winter snow, emerged from the page. Growing to the size of a two-story home, the summoned creature planted itself behind its master. The summoner must have made a command, as the creature took one of its giant arms and took hold of the raven faunus that had been desperately attempting to fly away.

Varian wrapped his sturdy threads around the other arm of the conjured construct.

Chandra, having been pulled out of reach of the construct, tried to dig her feet into the ground. Hoping to outlast whatever was tugging at them. Minutes felt like hours until the earth that had secured her feet to the land had been uplifted.

And then she too was in the air.

All at once, the world went silent. Neither the howling of the wind or the yelling of her companions reached her ears. And then she saw them. Two monstrosities. A giant nine-tailed fox surrounded in golden flames, a black ball of energy from its maw colliding with lightning in the hand of a violet-colored, almost human-like, creature.

Chandra didn't understand what had happened, as her world was flooded in white.

* * *

"...eam..."

What... was that?

"...tta….eam.."

That voice... Yeong-Ho?

"Attack team!"

Ciarra felt her entire body fight against her as she struggled to push herself off the ground. The weight of the dirt she was buried under, doing her no favors. Slowly she worked her way out from under the upheaved earth.

"Ciarra! Chandra! Varian! Melaina!" the leader of Team Mocha called. "Someone answer me, damn it!"

"I'm... here," Ciarra coughed, attempting to spread her wings to be rewarded with sparks of pain.

What had happened? They were being pulled by... Something... And then suddenly there was an explosion.

Her blood began to run cold. As the ringing in her ears dissipated, the woman attempted to focus her hearing. Listening for any sign of the others. To her left, the faunus heard a loud thud, as though several fallen trees had been tossed aside.

"Safe," Melaina said, the sound of whatever construct she had created crumbling away.

"I'm here too." From her right, Varian Arun wheezed out a laugh.

That's three of them, but what about...

"Do either of you see Chandra?" she asked.

Ciarra cursed her blindness, as silence permeated the air. "Well?"

"I... I don't see her."

The other woman spoke slowly, unsure of herself. Probably still looking around the area.

"What about her aura?"

Even if they couldn't see her, checking her aura levels would at least let them know her condition. What the faunus had not hoped to hear was a gasp from the man of their party.

"What?" No answer. "What is it?!"

"Chandra's aura meter. It's offline."

Offline? That wasn't possible. The energy of their scrolls may be finite, but it would take months before the dust supplying it power ran out. And as long as Chandra's scroll was within several meters of her person, it would transmit her aura levels, even if they were zero. The only possibility would be...

"Chandra!" She screamed, desperately calling out to her missing comrade. "Answer me!"

The response she received was the sound of several more explosions, the noise echoing in her hypersensitive ears. She stumbled before falling to the ground, her hands attempting to block out the offending sound.

What was happening? She couldn't see, and various explosions were assaulting her ears. Her instincts were screaming at her, demanding every fiber in her body to escape. Her mind fought to override her primal urge, concerned with her group's safety.

"She can take care of herself!" was what greeted her senses as the ringing lessened. "Chandra's scroll was probably destroyed in the blast."

"You can't believe that!" Melaina argued. "We have to find her, Min."

"You have to regroup!"

"Guys," Colette interrupted over the earpiece. "We have another problem."

"What is-" Min Yeong-Ho cut himself off. "Get back here now!"

And then there was silence. What was it that had him panicked? The faunus girl felt two hands grab her arms and pull her to her feet.

"You two go on ahead," the summoner told them. "Get back to the village."

"And what are you going to do?" Arun asked

Ciarra heard the sound of paper being torn, "I'm going to record whatever these things are and report it to Beacon. The headmaster needs to know."

The faunus reached out a hand, "I'm going with you."

"You're injured-"

"I'm going," she cut off Arun's protest. "If I can trap them in my cage, then we may be able to hold out for reinforcements."

Melaina's smooth hand took ahold of Ciarra's, "Are you sure that's a good idea? I was only going to observe."

The faunus's ears began ringing again as the battle continued in the background. Whatever these things were, she needed to be able to see them. And she could only do that if they were in her cage.

Without answering the summoner's question, she pulled on Melaina's arm, signaling for the woman to take the faunus with her.

Her partner found it useless to argue, "Fine. Let's go."

As the wind whipped around them, Ciarra could hear Arun yell something incoherent. Seconds turned to minutes, as she waited patiently on the back of whatever Melaina had summoned. Her own wings hanging limply on her back, unable to hold her weight.

"What do you see?"

"It looks like a giant gold-flamed fox fighting a... purple demon?" Melaina finished lamely.

Despite the terror flowing through her, Ciarra couldn't help but frown at the description.

"Wait... Now their not doing anything. It's like they're just staring each other down."

This was her chance, "Can you get me over them?"

"I can..." the summoner answered, "but I really don't want to."

"Just do it."

The faunus heard a sigh and a mumble of something about getting them both killed.

"Alright. Do it."

Feeling her cane back in hand, Ciarra placed both palms at the top of her weapon of choice, causing her semblance to activate. She could feel her glyphs form over the sky and take the shape of a cage that entrapped the two unknown beings. Now inside her cage, she could see them. A golden flamed fox with nine tails and what she could only describe as a tengu from old Mistralian stories. But there was something inside them.

She could see them, two men inside the beasts. Their energies connected. But something was wrong. The man inside the fox appeared to be in pain and the other man... He was looking right at her. One eye a bright red, the other purple, both with odd patterns, matched her vision. Without warning, she felt a pulse, and then there was nothing but pain.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Min Yeong-Ho cursed.

It was supposed to be a simple graduation mission. Guard a village on the border between Vale and Vacuo's territory, and take out some Grimm that had been spotted nearby. Even he had thought that he might have over-planned for this.

And then those things appeared. Even from the village, they were easily seen. A giant golden fox and a violet tengu. Both legendary creatures in his home country of Mistral, but that was it. They were only supposed to be myths. Stories passed down through time.

Yeong-Ho believed them to be interesting tales, but never once thought there was any truth to them.

But here they were, rampaging much too close for his comfort. And with their battle brought the Grimm.

To make it worse, Chandra's Aura meter had gone offline, the last thing he heard from Ciarra was her screaming, and Melaina wasn't responding. Varian was the only one to make his way back to the village, but he was worn down.

The leader of Team Mocha grit his teeth. The village was on the verge of being overrun by Grimm. He was missing three of his hunters, and two more were away from the frontlines to keep the peace. Eva wasn't the fiercest fighter, but her semblance to keep the masses calm with her songs had been a blessing.

"Colette, can you get a dome up?"

The short woman nodded, "It will use up all my earth dust."

"Just get it done," he told his blue-haired partner. "And reinforce it with ice. We can't afford to take any chances."

As Colette began concentrating, her gauntlets glowing the same white like the dust she's using, Min Yeong-Ho put a finger to his earpiece, staying vigilant for any Grimm that would approach.

"Silas, report."

The rough sound of a man came back, in the background the soothing voice of Evangeline Seraphina, "Everyone's gathered in the chief's manor. A few casualties, but no deaths."

A Beowolf swiped at the leader. Its claw hitting what appeared as a thin sheet of glass in front of Min. He cast an annoyed glare at the creature as the attack was repelled, and the assaulter slashed by a copy of its own natural weapon.

"Good," Yeong-Ho replied. "Keep them calm and quiet. Colette's creating a cover."

As the words left his mouth, walls of pure white arose, encircling the village. Slowly the borders climbed, bending once they reached a certain height to converge above them. As they set, he watched as frost spread around their cover, ice forming for extra strength.

"Varian, restore the light."

All at once, the street lamps that had been put out for the sake of not attracting attention ignited from the burn dust — illuminating the roads of the village.

The black-haired man turned to see the navy haired girl collapsed on the ground, her shoulderless shirt and black jean shorts sticking to her porcelain skin from what he assumed was sweat from the exertion.

"We have trespassers," Varian's voice came through.

"Their positions?"

From his place at the top of the clocktower, the dual-colored man listed off their enemies' location.

"A pack of Beowolves coming up on your six," He answered. "An Alpha Creep at the south wall, with at least a dozen mooks spread out. And an Ursa Major closing in on the mano- Nope, wait. Gideon just beheaded it."

A man of action, as expected of Silas. "Is there a breach?"

"No, just a few lingering assholes."

Colette attempted to stand, panting heavily, as the Beowolves began their charge.

Placing a hand on her uncovered shoulder, Yeong-Ho spoke, "Rest. I'll handle this."

A nod of her head as the only response, the black-haired man stepped forward. Removing his other hand from the pocket, revealing a metal replacement. White eyes met glowing red orbs as the first of the pack rushed forward, only to be met with the impact of steel on bone-plating. With the combination of his semblance, reflecting the opponent's power from either physical or dust attacks, and his own strength, the Grimm was launched away from the Huntsman-in-training.

Coming up from his sides, two more of the creatures attacked. Catching the outstretched limb on his right, he twisted the Grimm's arm, placing himself behind the dark beast. Yeong-Ho's other attacker's attempt blocked by the body of his captive, the Beowolf's claws digging deep into its ally.

Mocha's leader pushed, impaling the beast on the forelimb of another. Seizing the moment, the compartment in his palm opened, igniting burn dust and incinerating his enemies.

Through the flames emerged a fourth Beowolf, both arms extended, its maw opening before biting down on the man's arm. The beast's claws reflected, the imitations hacking off their original counterparts. Inside its throat, a blaze was set off, burning the creature from within. Yeong-Ho pulled from his foe, and with his arm came its severed head.

A look of disgust crossed his face as he threw his arm to the side, tossing away the skull of his fallen opponent. The torn sleeve of his right arm revealed the artificial limb from his elbow down.

His scorching hand caught the throat of yet another assaulter, crushing it and casting it aside. Reacting quickly, Yeong-Ho ducked under the claw of the sixth Beowolf, whirling around with a knife-hand strike, the high-temperature prosthetic melting its way through the Grimm's hide, severing it in half.

Mocha's leader ascended with an uppercut, catching another Beowolf in its jaw, making it airborne. Opening his fist, the soaring Grimm erupted in flames from the blaze from the man's palm.

"I can see why Chandra goes overboard," Yeong-Ho said to himself. "This is sort of amusing."

His musings interrupted from the growl of his first assaulter, its plating cracked. With a howl, it charged once again.

Min Yeong-Ho sighed, bringing his right arm down to his side, bent with his metallic forearm facing skyward, "Second verse same as the first."

The Beowolf pounced. Yeong-Ho stepped forward with his back leg, throwing out his fist. The two collided, bone giving in to steel, obliterating the creature's crown with pure force.

Yeong-Ho relaxed, releasing a breath as the Grimm corpses not scorched to ash evaporated. The sound of someone clapping came from his back. He turned to see the dissolving bodies of three Creeps and the amused expression of Varian Arun.

"You sure know how to put on a show, boss," his teammate laughed. "Wouldn't happen to be trying to impress anyone, would ya?"

The two shifted their gaze to the still-recovering Colette Lune, and then back to each other.

Yeong-Ho deadpanned, "Focus on the mission."

"Whatever you say."

The ground below them began to shake. The heterochromia man wrapped thread from his clawed fingertips around the black-haired man, pulling him away from where the Alpha Creep emerged.

"Is it bad I forgot they could do that?" his teammate asked, releasing Yeong-Ho.

Before the leader could answer, a fusion bolt of lightning and fire shot from between them, overwhelming the large Grimm with destructive elements.

"It's.. not fair... if only you two... get.. to have fun..." Colette said through labored breaths.

Her leader frowned, "I told you to rest."

"I did..." she replied. "And... I a-"

Her words were cut off as a volley of ivory javelin-like objects pierced through the top of the dome.  
Their world turned to chaos, as Yeong-Ho maneuvered out of the way of several of the large objects. His movements came to a halt as he trapped himself between two of them, a third approaching. He held up his right arm, feeding aura into his semblance. His reflect, that had never once failed, shattered. The object caught his arm, removing the prosthetic effortlessly, but had been veered off course enough for the black-haired man to survive the encounter.

Min Yeong-Ho placed a finger on his earbud, "Silas. Eva. What's your status?"

"Just finished the remaining mooks," Gideon responded. "Those white things destroyed several buildings, but they only encircled me."

A hoarse voice cut through, "We're good here. Just barely, but the manor was missed. I've put the villagers to sleep so they wouldn't cause a panic."

The leader nodded to himself before calling out, "Varian! Colette!"

"I'm here!" Varian called, hanging upside down from one of the objects.

He waited a moment, hearing no answer from his partner.

"Colette?" he called. "Colette, answer m-"

His voice died in his throat. In front of him, laid Colette Luna. Where her torso once was stood a white pillar. Her limbs spread out, vital fluid flowing freely from there severed ends. His eyes traveled towards the disembodied head of his partner.

Violet orbs froze in shock.

* * *

"Colette!" he heard his leader cry.

It was unusual to hear for Varian, never knowing his leader to be more than slightly annoyed. The heterochromia man disentangled himself, rotating vertically to land feet first. Landing on his ass, however, was just as good.

Rubbing his backside after standing, he moved towards Yeong-Ho's voice. His movements came to a halt as he caught sight of what had made his leader cry out — their mutilated teammate's body. The once shy, soft-spoken girl, laid in pieces — her petite frame missing entirely. Varian could do nothing but watch as his ever stoic friend stood over the remains of Colette Lune.

The heterochromia man could only bite his lip. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was a simple mission. They'd get it done, be praised by the villagers, stay at the local inn until a Bullhead picked them up in the morning. And then they would all graduate together and party the night away.

But now... Chandra was gone, vanished in the explosion.

He had watched Ciarra and Melaina fly towards those monsters. His calls for them to stop, to come back with him to the village, had gone unheard. There had been radio silence from them since.

And they weren't even the targets. The two titans, appearing from nowhere, only enemies were each other. Varian and his friends were just casualties, unlucky enough to be in the middle of their grand clash. Their confrontation attracting even more Grimm.

The man's eyes widened in realization. The Grimm! Those creatures were all around them, and now their shelter had a gaping hole — the two of them a beacon of negativity for the dark beasts.

From the air, he could see some of the avian Grimm break away from their group. Varian didn't have time to think as he made his way upwards, using his wire to pull himself to the top of the still-standing clocktower and throwing out his thread once more, wrapping it around a jagged edge of the once sealed dome.

Hanging in midair by the string from his left hand, he threw out his right. His fingers were moving in practiced and precise motions. His weapon of choice, every last that remained, stretched out to wrap around the uneven spikes created from the volley.

Secured, Varian tightened the grip on his right hand, pulling it close to his chest, as he allowed himself to switch to the use of his other side. With his task complete, the huntsman-in-training tied the threads together, cutting his connection to them and making his descent.

On the ground, he looked up to see his work already taking effect, catching several Nevermore tangled in his net. Behind them, older winged Grimm attempting to claw and peck away at what stood between them and their prey.

Varian could only watch, hoping against hope that it would keep their enemies at bay.

"Sorry, Kei," he mumbled to himself.

Above the mass of dark birds, the heavens erupted. Black lightning struck Remant, as the winds swept up everything in the area. The Grimm that had threatened them tossed aside.

The remaining team's safeguard collapsed.

* * *

The queen cast her gaze outside the window of her castle above the Grimm pools. Stained red skies encompassed the wasteland of her domain.

She could feel it. A malicious power that had robbed the witch's dark creatures of their life. All for strengthening itself. The energy was nostalgically familiar, yet not exactly as she remembered.

It called to her. Summoning her to become part of itself.

But she was no one's servant. She had proven it time and again. Defying men and gods alike.

"Dearil."

Behind her appeared an aging man. His crimson hair giving way to more than a few grey strands. His eyes were closed as he bowed to his mistress.

"You called milady?"

Salem turned to face her loyal subject.

"I have a mission for you."

* * *

**And so ends the first chapter of Titans on Remnant Redux. I know I probably still downplayed Naruto and Sasuke's final clash. I originally had scenes from Atlas, Mistral, and Menagerie being affected by them. However, I cut them out before I even sent the first draft to Oj because they felt forced and I overall didn't like them.**

**Let me know what you think in the review section, or through PMs. If you enjoy this story, please follow and/or favorite.  
**

**Until next time!**


	2. Lost Ones

***Pats self down*** **I'm not dead? Neat.**

**So, yes, I know, I've been gone for a long while. Do I have excuses? Maybe. Will I give them? Nah. Before we get started, I want to touch on a few things. The first, I've reuploaded Chapter 1. Didn't really change anything, just took out the scenes with Melaina, Ozpin, and Sandra. Going back over it, I saw it as more padding than anything. Also, for those of you who don't like Sasuke or don't want him to be a main protagonist. This story may not be for you. Not saying that in a bad way, just, well, Sasuke's going have a big part in this story, and not just as a supporting character. Same with Faunus Naruto. I planned for the story to have Naruto with animal features. Did I write it in well on the previous version? Probably not. I feel I did better with this chapter. But, that's just my opinion.**

**If either of those turns you off to this story, then I'm sorry to hear, or not hear, that, and hope you find a story more up your alley.**

**Beta: **OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art: **thefairyspriggan

* * *

**Chapter 2: Lost Ones**

* * *

The screech of a Nevermore chick echoed through the morning sky. It's small black body soaring effortlessly as red eyes skimmed over the destruction of the night prior. On a large boulder, standing out amongst the broken tree trunks, the avian landed. The violet vertical eye engraved on its chest glowed as it folded in on itself. In a blink, where was once a tiny Grimm, now stood an aging man. Strands of dark red hair merged with gray, and wrinkles littered his exposed skin. Yet, the spark in his cold onyx eyes betrayed his age.

Dressed in his ever-present butler outfit, Dearil stood amongst the remains of what had been a battlefield. He had seen many things throughout his years. Walls built up for remote villages toppled by overwhelming numbers of Grimm. Leaders assassinated and replaced, mostly his doing. Destruction and death, he had walked with both in hand, but something of this level even he had never seen.

Though, not without trying. Unfortunately, dust bombs of this magnitude were too unstable for him to create.

As he stepped past the body of a young faunus woman, dressed in black with her wings in tatters, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened. If it were a creation of man, there would be no reason for his mistress's interest. The immortal goddess had seen the best and worst humans had to offer, and an explosive was not going to gain her attention. That means this was from pure power. A maiden? Possibly. Or a semblance never heard of.

Making it even for confusing, his mistress had felt it from the Land of Darkness.

The loyal servant continued onwards, reaching the ruins of what was once Greenside Village. Scattered around him were chunks of ice and stone, as well as white pillars of bone. At least, that's what they appeared to be. Most of the houses crushed by debris, but oddly there were no corpses.

_Well_, he thought, stepping over the caved-in torso of a young man with a swirl of red and green hair, _there are very few._

Which was odd. Though not the largest village on Sanus, Greenside had an above-average population in terms of settlements outside the kingdom's walls. And, from his experience, humans could be ignorant. Instead of fleeing from danger at first chance, most would stand and gawk for a moment. That one moment was usually all that was needed for them to lose their life.

His thoughts came to a halt as a hand caught his leg. Below him was another young man, black hair and missing an arm, straining to breathe, as well as talk.

"Hunt...sman..."

Huntsman? Ah. The poor boy must have confused him as one of humanity's _protectors_.

Dearil smiled at him, bending down to the boy, "Can you tell me what happened here?"

"Mon... Monsters..."

Monsters? "The Grimm?"

"No.. Ti.. tans... Golden fox... and... a demon..." the ravennette forced out through labored breaths.

A golden fox and a demon? He had seen many fairytales made real, the Story of the Seasons being one. But tales of a fox and a demon, though in some Mistralian myths, he'd never once seen their existence. And even though Grimm had been called demons before, some followers of the two brothers also used the word to describe those lost to the God of Darkness. Those damned to eternal torture. Amusing since his mistress had informed him of the brother gods' exodus all those millennia ago.

Dearil pulled the young man into a sitting position, giving him minimal aid. The boy's life was unimportant. The information, however, could very well be.

"What do you mean by a demon?"

The ravennette coughed, "Menacing eyes and a long nose... Violet body in Mistralian armor..."

Longnose and Mistralian armor? Maybe a Tengu? But had such things ever existed?

"It became a Grimm..."

Nothing just _becomes _a Grimm. The dark creatures were creations born from the Grimm pools. But, if it was possible to merge with the Grimm, then perhaps that was what his mistress had felt.

"Where did they go?" Obviously, these _titans _weren't here; he was sure he'd notice rampaging beasts of that scale. "Where have these titans gone?"

The boy shook his head, "I... I don't know..."

Dearil fought back a frustrated snort, slowly letting the boy down on his back. As he stood, the boy gripped his leg again.

"My... team..." he said, "My... friends!"

Dearil scanned over the ruins, doubting very much that any of the young man's friends were still alive. Maybe that faunus girl was, but she had barely been breathing when he saw her.

He gave the boy another gentle smile, "Rest. I'll find them."

The ravennette's hand lost its strength, as he fell back into unconsciousness. He had a strong spirit, but that wouldn't be enough to keep him alive.

The sound of chirping birds lured him away from the village. As he got closer to the sound, the chirping ceased, replaced with the sound of two objects colliding. His feet came to a stop at an unnaturally formed crater. Below him, he saw what had created the last sound.

Stepping out of the side of the stone wall he had been embedded in, was another ravennette. He shouted in a language the older man had never heard. Below him, a blonde stood eyes locked on the other. Could it be that these two were the titans? Probably not. That amount of power in the hands of humans? It would be absurd.

But Dearil couldn't count out that, while everything around them had been laid to waste, these two stood, fighting one another. His mistress had sent him to find out what had caught her attention, and these two were at least leads to that. Collecting worn out children would not be much of a challenge.

Overhead, the old servant heard the approaching bullheads. Three, but it was the one in the center that had caught his attention. On its side, the Vacuo crest for all of Remnant to see. His eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the disturbance to reach Vacuo. And there was only one person he could think would cross the border to investigate something, not in her territory.

He would need to collect the two and leave before-

The sound of chirping birds he had heard before returned. From where he was, the ravennette stood with lightning collected in his hand. It should have been impossible. The two appeared worn out. They should have been on their last leg. But here one was, activating his semblance. And the other seemed prepared to retaliate.

It should have been simple. Collect the tired out boys and leave before the Summer Maiden appeared. As the two jumped towards each other, the blonde using his own semblance, and the Bullheads fast approaching, that mission seemed impossible.

But he couldn't go back empty-handed with only guesses of these titans.

No.

There were two other sources of information he could take.

* * *

He watched again as the two rampaging giants attacked one another. Ever since he had received the video, Ozpin couldn't help being awestruck. In a world where everyone was in a constant war with creatures of darkness, where Goliaths, Wyverns, and Leviathans exist, he had never seen creatures like these.

The headmaster watched as his student's semblance, Bird Cage, came over the two titans as they had stopped moving. The violet demon turned its head, mismatched eyes of crimson and purple met his students, and then the cage was broken, and Ciarra Avacyn screamed.

The video cut off shortly afterward. Ozpin brought a hand up to his eyes. Neither of the creatures had done anything to break free. Was it past her ability to hold them, or was it so effortlessly destroyed that she couldn't have protected herself?

And why had he been the last person to know about this in the first place?!

_Damn the council..._

"**And what could we have done?" **his ever-present tenant asked. **"It's taken us almost half a day to reach where Teams Amethyst and Mocha were sent."**

_That's not the point. _Ozpin argued. _We only received this video because they were afraid of those things. What about the support requests that hadn't reached us?_

"**That... Is troubling. The Huntsman was supposed to be separate from the Kingdoms. If the council is intercepting transmissions..."**

_Then they're trying to take control._

As their transport landed, Ozpin was the first to exit. He was met with the sight of the ruins of once was Greenside Village. The forest on the outskirts demolished. In front of it all, a woman older than he, dressed in a sleeveless yellow crop-top, revealing her toned midriff. An ankle-length skirt matched her top, as she paced in heels.

"Sandra," he called, walking up to her.

"-don't give a damn! Load them up and fly them into the hospital building if you have to!" Shade's headmistress looked to Ozpin, the claw marks trailing down the left side of her face giving her a fierce appearance. "Took your time getting here."

Ozpin followed the Huntress, who had been yelled at, watching as she and several others began loading gurneys into a separate ship. He frowned, "Too much time. What can you tell me?"

"It's a mess, Oz. The village is gone, and most of the settlers. They were all mostly in a manor, but it collapsed."

"Mostly?"

Sandra grimaced, "We've found a few in the remains of other houses, and I'm guessing some of your Hunters."

"I had two fourth-year teams here on a mission," Ozpin supplied. "Are they still here? Are they alive?"

"One," she answered. "One is still breathing. The others we found... There was no saving them."

Ozpin felt his heart stop as Sandra pulled up the images on her scroll.

Varian Arun's chest caved in. Colette Luna in pieces. Silas Gideon had several crushed limbs and bruises.

"He was an odd one," Sandra told him. "The few survivors we found were around him, but he had died."

Martyr. The young man's semblance. The ability to take others' injuries onto himself.

"Three..." Ozpin said. "That's three of mine. But I sent two teams."

"I'm guessing one of them is this girl," she showed him a picture of a young woman with long blonde hair covered in dirt.

"Evangeline Seraphina," the headmaster named her.

"Yea, well, she's alive. And except for a few cuts and some bruising, perfectly fine."

A look to her ring finger, a gold band, imbedded with a jewel, he could guess who Silas had focused on saving first.

"She was the only one that looked like a Hunter."

Ozpin met her eyes, "The only one? I told you there were two teams. Eight of my students. You've shown me half of them!"

"Then the other half is missing," she told him. "And probably dead."

Before he could say anything, Sandra's scroll rang, "Headmistress, we have something here."

"What is it?" Ozpin answered for her.

She shot him a scowl, and when there was no reply, she spoke. "Report, Marik."

The man on the other side had an identical shade of dark skin as Sandra, with sandy blonde hair that reached his shoulders, "We found two boys inside a crater."

"Crater?" the two questioned.

"Yes. Ma'am. I'm guessing it wasn't always here."

Sandra looked to Ozpin, who shook his head, "Never. The village has been surrounded by forest since before its creation. It was called Greenside, after all."

The headmistress snorted, "Do you think it's where the blast came from?"

Blast?

"Nearly positive."

"And what of the boys?"

Marik moved his scroll to give them a view of the two. Laying beside each other was a blonde boy dressed in a fishnet shirt and orange pants and a ravenette in a high-collared shirt and blue pants. Both covered in blood and missing an arm.

"I'm can't confirm nor deny the possibility of their involvement."

"Are they alive?"

Neither Ozpin or Sandra knew who had asked the question first.

The Huntsman nodded, "They are, but they've lost a lot of blood. We're doing everything we can to care for them, be we need to get them aid soon."

The headmistress looked over to Ozpin.

"Get them to the Bullheads," he told the other man. "I'll give a call to the school. We can watch over them."

"I'll also let the council know to expect transports from Vacuo with injured in need of immediate attention," he told Sandra, who nodded. "Not that I don't appreciate your help, but why are you here? And what _blast_ were you talking about?"

"When we arrived, there was some kind of explosion. Blinded our pilots and almost made us lose control of our Bullheads."

She continued, "As for why we're here, whatever caused all this was something huge. Animals and Grimm all began to act erratically. We had sandstorms everywhere. It was chaos, Oz. And I'm still not sure what caused it, just that the Grimm were coming here."

Ozpin thinking about the titans showed on his face, as Sandra caught his eyes, "But something tells me you have an idea. So, tell me Ozpin. What on Remnant happened?"

* * *

A loud howl echoed throughout the sewers of his mind, waking the drained Naruto. Clumsily, he got up on to his feet, struggling to stand. He felt exhausted, but another howl of pain had him turning towards the source. Nine tails flailed, crashing into the walls of his mind. Kurama, the giant beast the blonde had just begun to connect with, held his head in agony.

"Kurama!" Naruto called. His only answer was another cry. "Kurama! What's going on!"

Getting no answer, Naruto made his way towards the fox, only for a massive tail to strike down in front of him.

"Don't..." Kurama gasped, "Don't come closer!"

"Why? What's going on?!"

"Something is pulling at me... It's trying to tear me out of you!"

Pulling him? Tearing him? What the hell was going on?!

Naruto rushed forward, unsure of what to do. Close to the rampaging fox's leg, he placed a hand on the giant limb.

And when fur met skin, his world erupted in pain.

* * *

"How are they?"

Peter Port, dressed in his usual attire of a double-breasted burgundy suit with black dress pants and cavalry boots, entered Thumbelina Peach's office. He had been the one to see to the two boys and Evangeline when they arrived by Bullhead, with Ozpin and his teams still out at the Greenside Village. The two were quickly rushed to Peach, and he was stuck waiting for news.

"Breathing," was her reply. Strawberry blonde hair was done up in long pigtails that traveled down her white lab-coat. "And if that isn't a miracle, I'll never know what is."

"What do you mean."

The doctor signaled for her colleague to approach, laying out notes and pictures of the boys, "Deep gashes, broken limbs, and blood loss from however long they were laying in that hole without their arms. That's not even taking into consideration all the internal damage. These two should have died long before they got to me."

Peter looked at the young men's faces. Both may be the age of Beacon's first-year students. He couldn't help the coldness he felt at losing those that young.

"Will they survive?" He asked, believing he already knew the answer.

Peach shrugged indifferently, "They'll be just fine in a week or so."

Sorrow gave way to confusion, "Fine in a week? But all of that... Is it their aura?"

It was the only thing that had any chance to explain their recovery. And for it to be in only a week must mean their aura reserves were substantial.

Though, the look on Peach's face said otherwise.

Pink eyes narrowed as she spoke, "That's another oddity. Take a look at this."

Presented to him were the numbers from a vital signs monitor. He couldn't tell what any of it meant.

"Um, yes?"

She sighed, "These numbers here."

Port looked where her finger was pointing. It was two zeroes separated by a diagonal line.

"...And?"

"Everyone, from the smallest child to the oldest adult, has aura," Peach lectured. "While we might not all have access to it, we still have a certain amount. It's not an exact science, but to a degree, we can tell how much aura each individual has. These two have none."

"None?!" Port shouted. "How is that possible?"

"I'm no-"

Their conversation was interrupted as an alarm went off. What appeared on the doctor's monitor had her eyes widen, and she was quickly rushing out of her office and down the hall — Peter on her heels.

"What's going on?!"

"It's the blonde!" she yelled back. "He's going into cardiac arrest!"

She slammed the door open, only to jump back as an ethereal orange tail slammed into where she had been. Inside the room, the blonde flailed as he screamed in pain. Around him, nine dark orange tails rampaged. Carving into the walls and destroying machinery.

The two, along with the nurses that had arrived, could only stare into the room as the blonde continued to scream in agony.

As soon as it had begun, the screaming came to a stop. And with it, the tails calmed down. For a minute, no one moved. Peach, uncertainly, made her way over to the bed, ignoring the destruction of the room. At a closer look, the young man's breathing had evened out, and he didn't look to be in pain. But now he had something new.

When he had come in, the boy had whisker marks. Birthmarks or scars, but that was just it. Even with that, no one could have mistaken this boy as anything but human. Now, however, the tails that had wreaked havoc waved lazily around him. Atop of his head, he now wore ears resembling that of a fox. In a few minutes' time, the blonde boy had grown eleven new appendages — each a sunkissed blonde like his hair, but with white tips at the end.

From behind her, Peter came into the boy's room, followed closely by the two aids. All of which were dumbfounded by what they saw.

Peter was the first to find his voice, "What... What just happened."

"I have no idea."

* * *

**And there you have it. I know it's shorter, sitting at little over 3k words before AN, in contrast, to even the over 5k reuploaded chapter 1 but extending it would've felt unnatural. Hopefully, you'll forgive me for a short chapter after such a long time.**

**See you all in another five-to-six months.**

**Until next time.**


	3. Titans Awaken

**Time goes by so fast. I can't believe half a year has already passed... What's that? It's only been a week? And you say this joke isn't funny? Well, okay then, let's just get to the chapter. **

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 3 - Titans Awaken**

* * *

Pain.

That was the first thing to register in Naruto's mind as he came into consciousness. Not the sharp, stabbing pain he had felt when touching Kurama, but a dull ache over his entire body, though mostly at the top of his head and his lower back. He could feel his cheek on a pillow, wet from the drool running from his mouth.

With little strength, he tried to turn over, just to find himself caught on something. Something of his, if the small jolt of pain that coursed through him was anything to go by. The more he focused, he could feel a weight on his backside.

The blonde, too tired to try rolling over again, shifted his head away from the wet spot, his eyes remaining closed.

_Ku... rama..._

He tried reaching out to the Tailed-Beast locked inside him, the memories of the Nine-Tails howling in agony coming back to him.

_Kurama?_

There was no response. Naruto's eyes snapped open in a panic as he pushed himself up.

_Kurama!_

Zzzz...

The sound of snoring was what answered him, as Naruto slumped back on to the bed.

"What the hell, you stupid fox," he breathed out, the panic draining.

Had all that just been a dream? No. The pain was very real. And he had already be exhausted from his fight with Sasuke...

"Sasuke?!"

What had happened? He had been fighting Sasuke, and now he was in some strange room with no windows. What about their battle? Had he won? Was Sasuke alright? What about the Infinite Tsukuyomi?!

The blonde fell out of his bed, unuse to whatever added weight he had. An alarm began to echo in his room, a continuous beeping noise stabbing daggers into his head. His hand reached up, seeking to block out the offending sound. His fingers froze as they touched something furry atop his crown.

"What the hell?!" he yelled, grabbing at his two new appendages. Soft in his hand, his fingers traced over the change in his physiology, a look of horror coming over his face.

The room's door opened, a man and woman dressed in matching dark-blue scrubs. Naruto's focus switched from his extra set of ears to the individuals, their eyes wide in shock. He felt that his shock matched their own. Everyone but he, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi should have been trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Had the jutsu been broken? If so, how? Maybe Six Paths Gramps?

And if it had, where had he been taken? The blonde was familiar with Konoha's hospitals, and the room he was in, matched with what the two in front of him were wearing, didn't give him confidence that he was there. Had he been taken by another village? Were they the ones responsible for his new appendages?

The man walked toward the shinobi, hands up and saying something Naruto couldn't understand. Behind the blonde, the tails that had been moving erratically suddenly tensed...

"Why do I have tails?!" Naruto's scream startling the other room's occupants.

His hand took hold of one of them. Fluffy was the second thing to come to his mind, the first being terrifying confusion. It shared the same color as his hair, except for the odd white tip. Maybe someone was pranking him? All he had to do was give it a pull...

A cry escaped his lips as he felt pain shoot up from it. It was very, very real. And, as he looked behind him, there were eight more of the same.

Nine fox tails... "Damn it Kurama!"

He needed answers for this, but the giant fox was snoring away during his crisis. His mind focused once more on those in front of him, the woman stepping up beside the man. Both were still talking in a language he didn't understand, but their movements were as if they were approaching a dangerous animal. From the man's pocket, he pulled out a syringe.

Naruto could feel the sweat start to roll off him. He was in a strange hospital, a gown replacing his clothes, at least eleven new body parts he hadn't passed out with, and now a stranger approaching with a needle.

Before they knew what had happened, Naruto jumped up, flipping for his feet to hit the ceiling. As soon as he landed, once again he was gone, bouncing from the ceiling and out the opened door. Leaving the obnoxious beeping and strange medics behind.

* * *

Ozpin watched with fascination the video the head of his medical staff had brought to him. The blonde, unconscious, had gone from sleeping peacefully to howling in pain without warning. Then, from underneath him, elevating the young man from his bed, tails of a dark ethereal orange rampaged around the room. Equipment destroyed, white walls were carved in to, and the sole window shattered.

If he hadn't known better from Peach's earlier reports, the headmaster would have believed the blonde had unlocked his semblance. Oddly enough, neither of the two that were brought to Beacon had Aura, so a semblance was impossible. But if not that, then what?

_Maybe magic?_

"**Doubtful," **Ozma answered his thoughts, also enthralled by what was going on in front of them. **"Magic-users beside myself and Salem were all wiped out. Even the Maidens are a result of gifting them my own magical ability. I have no recollection of giving any of my already limited reserves to two others."**

_Then what about Salem?_

"**I can't think of any reason she would do so," he answered. "Even now she is attempting to gain more power. The thought of her giving any away is improbable."**

_But not impossible._

The video came to an end with the thrashing energy tails solidifying into extra parts on the boy, the fur sharing his hair color, that now also sported a pair of fox ears.

"**But why do they have white tips?"**

Even before the tails had taken a tangible form, they were a single solid color. The ends were not white or black, but the same dark orange. So why, and for what reason, had they gained another color?

_Magic?_

From inside his mind, Ozpin could feel the deadpan look his tenant would have thrown his way.

"Do you have any idea how this could have happened?" the headmaster asked the two in his office. Just because he nor the ancient soul knew didn't mean there hadn't been a case like this before.

"None," Peach answered. "There has never once been an incident where a human has become a faunus."

So much for that idea.

Port chimed in, "That isn't a faunus."

"Why do you say that?" Ozpin asked.

"There's the obvious," Peter began. "Faunus have one animalistic trait. Ears or a tail, maybe wings in cases like bird or bat faunus. But he has ears and tails. Not a tail, but tails! Nine of them"

He continued," But the other reason, was the pure power and malice coming off him. We've been on a lot of missions, Oz. We've seen some of the worst Remnant has to offer..."

_If you only knew, my friend._ The headmaster's thoughts going back to the pseudo-immortal's ex.

"**It's more complicated than that."**

_I know, though I wish I didn't._ Ignorance was bliss, or so they say.

"But this... This was like nothing I had ever felt before. I'd rather fight a herd of Goliaths than stand in a room with that again."

Peach nodded at his words, remembering the feeling well enough.

"**Golden tails and unbelievable power..."**

_What are you thinking?_

"**Perhaps that young man was the giant fox."**

_Because of tails, he hadn't had until after the incident and Peter's testament?_

"**What if it was a drawback? Once the Titan's energy had receded, it manifested in another way?"**

_A theory as good as our others, I suppose. Still doesn't explain where the ability came from._

"And what of the other one?"

Their female colleague replied, "Nothing to report. He's shown no signs of waking or sporadically acquiring animalistic appendages."

The fact she felt the need to add that at the end just added weight to how odd the situation already was.

"And his recovery?"

"Incredible," Peach answered. "Honestly, even if we had saved a Hunter with those injuries, it would take months for them to heal, and longer for them to get back on their feet. But not just the black-haired one, even the blonde took to our treatment and put it in overdrive. I've never seen anyone recover this quickly before."

Even without the commotion, the blonde had caused, the other young man was still an abnormality.

He would need to talk to them to get an understanding of this, "Have either of them woken up?"

The doctor shook her head, "It's only been three days. Though they're recovering at an unbelievable rate, they'll probably be out for the next week. The blonde even longer after what he's been through."

As she finished speaking, the scroll in her ever-present lab coat went off. With a nod from the headmaster, Peach answered, "I'm in a meeting."

"The blonde's left his room!"

There was a tense silence in the headmaster's office before Peter gave an intelligent response.

"What?"

The aid on the other end explained, "His vital signs had plummeted. Asa and I rushed to his room to find him standing and holding his fox ears. Even saw him pull one of his tails."

"Did he say anything?"

"Nothing we could understand. He was shouting in some weird language." He told her. "I think he panicked when we approached him. Jumped right over us and rushed out of his room."

"Damn it!" Peach cursed. "Have you checked the room of the other young man?"

He nodded, "He wasn't there, and black-haired boy was still asleep."

"Understood," Ozpin's voice reached through the scroll. "Keep searching the medical wing."

With a positive response that he understood, the call cut out.

"Port, go get Bruno," the headmaster commanded. "Peach can get Ann. Make sure not to alert the students. We do not need it getting out that an unknown is loose in the Academy."

"Yes, sir," the two left his office, off to collect their fellow Professors. Standing, Ozpin made to leave, before a message appeared on his monitor.

**Sender:** Sandra Bast, Headmistress of Shade Academy

**Title: **Greenside Investigation

We acquired a scroll away from the site. Broken, but our technicians were able to collect images and videos from its memory. There was one you should see.

Despite knowing he should be searching for the blonde young man, Ozpin found himself opening the attachment.

* * *

When Naruto had left the room, he wasn't quite sure where to go. He wandered through the halls, looking for all intents and purposes like a hospital and not an experimental lab. Though, the tails waving around at the opened back of his gown didn't calm him any. He had no direction and no way of knowing where the exit was. The thought of breaking through the walls had come to mind, but he didn't want to attract any more attention than he already had. It was during his hallway adventure that he heard her.

Though he didn't know the words said, the voice of a woman sang through the corridor. The sound was beautiful, almost hypnotizing, and it filled with sorrow. It was like the singer was crying, and he could feel it in the depths of his heart. The blonde followed the voice, slowly moving through the unknown corridor.

Soon he found himself standing outside a room inhabited by a young woman. She sat at the side of her bed, dressed in the same hospital gown as he. Platinum blonde hair falling down her back.

"Um, hi?" Naruto tried.

She gave him no mind. Her gaze locked onto the night sky outside the window, continuing to sing her song. He couldn't help but frown. With every unintelligible word she spoke, he felt the pain of loss. Memories of the Third Hokage, Pervy Sage, even Neji's recent death piled up in his mind. It was almost overwhelming, as he bit down on his lip to stop the tears that threatened to spill forth.

Was this what she was feeling? Looking at her, sitting alone in the hospital room, maybe she was a survivor of the Fourth Shinobi War. That would mean the Infinite Tsukuyomi had been broken. But it also meant she had lost many of her own loved ones.

Naruto stepped towards her, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. The woman stopped singing, her tear-stained face looking up at him, twin sets of sapphire blue met each other.

He wanted to say something. A few comforting words.

"I know what it's like," he told her. "To lose somebody. It sucks. Like everything that made you whole is gone. Suddenly ripped away."

She tilted her head in confusion but rose a hand to wipe a stray tear from his eye. She didn't speak to him, but he could feel a kindness coming from her. Even crying herself didn't stop her from worrying about him.

"Remembering them is hard too. All the good times, the fun times. Knowing we'll never have any more of those moments."

He smiled at her, walking around the bed and to the window, "But it's that pain we should hold on to. Even if it makes us sad, or we want to cry. We need to keep their memory in our hearts. And for them, and for the people we still have, we can make a better world where we won't have to lose anyone else."

Naive? Probably. But it was hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. And as he looked up into the cloudless night, he thought that it was a promise he would make. To create that better tomorrow. He looked up to the glow of the broken... moon...

_What?_

* * *

Cane in hand, Ozpin stepped inside the black-haired young man's room. The video he had been sent repeating in his mind. The clouds of Grimm. His student, Melaina Adelyn, fighting against them alone after sending her teammate away from the battlefield.

The horrible cries as she was ripped apart and her body being lost into the belly of those damned beasts.

He could feel his anger flare-up. At the Titans that had caused such havoc. The council who had slowed down him receiving the first video. And at himself, because he wasn't sure there would have been anything he could have done except die with them.

But that wasn't all there was to the video. No, what Sandra had wanted him to see had been a minuscule detail that would have been missed if not for whatever miracle eyes Sandra's people had. After the two Titans' attack collided, their power roaring across the continent, if not the world, the scroll kept recording. Broken, and if picked up by the average person, never being able to see the light of day, it had picked up two smaller figures falling from the air, cloaked in gold and violet energy.

And he just so happened to have two strangers in his care.

Was it concrete evidence the two were involved? No. Even with the blonde, who they still had not found, growing tails, it didn't necessarily mean he was connected to the fox. And there was nothing that connected the unconscious young man to the other gigantic creature.

That was why Ozpin was here. So far, there was nothing to connect the dark-haired boy to the violet Titan turned Grimm. But what about his eyes? After the creature turned, it had a single red eye, though with an odd pattern.

And a purple eye not common in Grimm.

If this young man had either of those, he would be a little closer to finding the cause of this. And maybe to find the true nature of those calamities.

At the side of the young man's bed, Ozpin leaned over. Carefully, not wanting to wake him, the headmaster pulled up his eyelid. The right eye revealing not the color red, but onyx.

He breathed a sigh, of relief or frustration, even he wasn't sure. If this boy was not related to the incident, he couldn't be a hundred percent positive the blonde was either. But if they were, he had essentially brought two walking bombs into his school.

Letting the eyelid fall, he moved to the left. And gently, he pried it open to reveal violet, ripple patterned eye. Six comma-like symbols on the two inner ripples.

Ozpin gasped, not at the reveal, but the hand that had caught his arm. His onyx eye now holding a crimson pattern. Before he could speak, the headmaster felt himself being pushed backward, slamming into a wall.

Coughing, he kept himself upright. The now fully conscious young man set up in his bed, mismatched eyes filling the headmaster with dread.

"Anatahadare?"

* * *

"Who are you?"

Though phrased as a question, Ozma knew an answer was demanded. Even without being in control of their shared body, the ancient wizard could feel an incredible power radiating off the young man. This could never come from aura, nor even from magic.

What was he?

"I'll ask again. Who are you?"

The young man's eyes had hardened, and Ozma understood the reason Ozpin had yet to answer. He was speaking a language long dead in Remnant. Without warning, Ozma had taken over.

He dusted off his back, which he now felt the pain of, "I apologize. My name is Ozpin, the-"

"Don't lie to me," the young man cut him off, eyes narrowed. "I don't know what technique you used, but whoever you are have switched places with this 'Ozpin'."

Ozma fought back his surprise. Not once had he ever been noticed, but now this boy, who couldn't be older than a first-year student, had caught him? Maybe he could play it off.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ozma tried. "Perhaps you saw a trick of the light."

There was no answer, but as Ozma stared down the young man, he soon found himself standing in a wasteland. Dark clouds overhead and multiple kinds of weapons lay scattered in all directions. In front of him was the young man, but now dressed in the clothes they had found him in.

"What's going on?"

The voice was one he was familiar with but shocked to hear beside him. The immortal looked over to find Ozpin, black-hair and dressed in a black suit over a dark green vest and shirt, with black trousers to match.

If Ozpin was standing there, then how was he...?

Ozma looked down at himself. Instead of seeing Ozpin's paler skin, it was tanned, covered by a blue-green tunic, black pants, and brown boots. This was his body. His real body. Lost to a time long ago. How had he...

"Don't lie to me."

Ozma and Ozpin shared a startled look. Neither knew what was happening or even how. But they could both understand that the one in front of them was responsible.

"I am Ozma," he finally answered, waving an arm beside him. "And this is Ozpin."

He nodded, "Where am I?"

"You're at Beacon Academy. The medical ward, to be exact," Ozpin supplied. "Well, was."

Ozma looked over, confused at how his host could understand the young man. His confusion must have shown, as the headmaster only shrugged.

"Beacon Academy?" the young man questioned. "Never heard of it. Which of the Hidden Villages is that in?"

"Beacon Academy is a Huntsman Academy in the Kingdom of Vale," Ozma told him, keeping in mind the Hidden Village term. Were there villages hidden away training someone like this? It would need to be investigated.

The answer didn't seem to please the young man, "I don't care about some kingdom. Where in the Elemental Nations are we?"

"Elemental Nations?" Ozpin looked at him uncertainly. "I've never heard of a place like that on Remnant."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say as a pressure brought the two older men to their knees.

"Vale? Remnant? Where have you taken me?!"

The pressure kept building up, Ozma and Ozpin both choking for breath.

"We..." Ozma coughed, "We have not abducted you. You and a blonde boy were found in a village farther from here."

Like a switch had been flipped, the pressure receded. "Naruto? He's here?"

Naruto? That was the blonde's name? "He is," Ozma answered, while shakily getting back to his feet.

No one spoke for a long minute, as the two sucked in air. In an instant, instead of standing beside Ozpin in a wasteland, he was back in the hospital room. The young man laying in bed, as if what had just happened was all a lie.

"Let me see him."

It was not a request, but a demand. And one that would be hard to comply with as the now named Naruto was currently missing.

Before Ozma could answer, the door to his room slammed open. The blonde-haired young man ignoring him as he ran up to the other's bedside.

"Sasuke!" he yelled, even though the young man stood right beside Sasuke's bed. "I don't know what's going on! I woke up in a white room, with ears and tails, and the moon is broken!"

"Calm down, idi-" Sasuke stopped. "Did you say the moon was broken?"

* * *

**Okay, so, for this reason, I had considered rewriting Chapter 1. In the first chapter, I barely noted that Evangeline kept the masses calm during the Emergence incident. To explain that a bit more, since I didn't write it in when I should have, is her semblance, Melody. By singing, she is capable of manipulating emotions. However, it's a passive ability. If she's not focusing on what to make others feel or suppressing her semblance, her own emotions are cast on those who hear her. Do with that info as you will.**

**Until next time!**


	4. Victims of Circumstance

**Posting this a bit early since I'm going to be busy all day tomorrow.**

**Thank you for the reviews. To those that had questions, I tried answering with a PM so I didn't inflate this story's word count more than my ANs already do. If it's bothersome, let me know. To the guest asking if any more Naruto characters will show up; No one from the Elemental Nations but Naruto and Sasuke will appear on Remnant. And now, onto the next chapter!**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 4 - Victims of Circumstance**

* * *

Ozpin stepped back into his office, drained from the night's events. His strength left him as soon as he reached the chair behind his desk. Ozma, too, had been affected by what had transpired. Mostly since he had been in control and taking the brunt of it. As the headmaster leaned his head back, eyes closed for a moment of rest, Ozma thought back to the events an hour or so prior.

* * *

" That's exactly what I said!" Naruto told the ravenette. "The moon's broken. Shattered. I saw pieces of it just floating to the side!"

Ozma listened to the blonde with interest. Hidden Villages and the Elemental Nations. Now, surprise at the moon which had been broken for millennia. Was it possible that they... No, he mustn't jump to conclusions. But maybe...

"Where did you say you were from again?" He interrupted. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, knowing full well the young man had already told him the answer.

The blonde just blinked, shifting sapphire orbs to the older man, "Hmm? Ah, we're shinobi from Konoha."

"You are from Konoha," Sasuke corrected him.

Cerulean eyes turned gold, pupils becoming slits. The whisker marks on his cheeks darkening as his canines growing out, as he turned to the one who spoke.

"I told you I'd drag you back," he growled.

The pressure the blonde was releasing had the immortal shaking, equaling what he had felt from the young man still in his bed just moments ago. Unlike him, the ravenette was unperturbed as his eyes left Ozma and focused on the person at his side.

Sasuke's onyx eye transformed again, and now Ozma felt the pressure double down, causing his breath to catch.

"S-Stop..." he gasped out.

He wasn't sure if they had heard him until he felt the oppressive weight lifted. His mind was in a panic. There was no doubt. These two must be those titans in human form. The amount of pure power that was being released without effort. If he hadn't spoken to them, Ozma would have believed they were the Gods' apostles.

No, there could be no doubt.

"Different... world," he spoke slowly. It was the only conclusion. No aura yet infinitely beyond the ability of anyone on Remnant, even when magic was common-place.

"What did you say?"

Ozma looked up to see the blonde, golden beastly eyes glaring down at him. The similarities to a predator staring down its prey not lost on him.

"I think you may have come from a different world," Ozma repeated. "Another dimension."

The glare turned into a deadpan look as Naruto's beastly features receded, turning his head to Sasuke, "Stop with your stupid eye tricks."

The ravenette returned the blonde's expression, "Why would I trap myself in my own Genjutsu?"

"And what?" Naruto retorted, "Am I supposed to believe we jumped worlds or something?"

Ozma straightened himself up, "It's unbelievable, even to me. I've never heard of such a thing before, but I can't think of any other explanation. I've never heard of Konoha or the Elemental Nations. Do you know of Remnant? Vale? Atlas, Mistral, or Vacuo?"

The blonde's head tilted in confusion. He took that as the answer.

"Exactly," Ozma said. "Any more proof would be as you said. The moon is broken. But for us, that's how it's been for a long time."

Understanding slowly dawned on him, "...Send us back."

Ozma wasn't sure he had heard that right, "What?"

"Send us back," the blonde repeated.

Did they think he was responsible? "I'm not even sure how you came here."

He heard it before he saw it, an arm outstretched, a fist implanted in the wall behind him. The years of skill and instinct the immortal had collected completely useless.

"Sasuke..." Naruto ground out, head dipped low.

The blonde didn't see the other young man shake his head, "I can't."

* * *

He could still hear the frustrated roar from Naruto. Anger and pain mixed in. Luckily his ire was not directed towards any of them, but at the uncontrollable circumstances. Ozma had heard something about an Infinite Tsukuyomi and people being trapped, but he didn't know the significance. Though, he could understand it wasn't the blonde's own well being he was worried about, but of his people.

Ozpin let out a bitter laugh, "A monster that cares."

"**An unfair assessment," **Ozma retorted.

"You'll have to forgive me for not thinking kindly of those who destroyed a village and killed my students."

"**I doubt it was intentional. I relayed to you the conversation. They did not just outright attack innocence, but ended up misplaced."**

Ozpin's eyes snapped open, "And that makes what they did better?!"

"**No, but it makes the situation different. I dare say the two are victims themselves."**

"Victims?!"

"**Unless you believe they hit each other with enough force to rip open space and time just to assault civilians they didn't know existed."**

An absurd thought. The two were just as confused as he was at the thought of them traveling to a different dimension. Let alone the fact the impossibility of physical ability to cause such a thing to happen.

"Then what am I suppose to do? Forgive them? Let their actions go unpunished?"

"**And you think any of us have the power to bring judgment to them?"** it was Ozma's turn to laugh. **"Taking out the blonde, the one named Sasuke was able to delve into our very being. He was capable of seeing me as who I was. The possibilities of what he can do with that alone are frightening."**

Left unsaid was their titanic forms. A single wrong move, just the simple act of earning ill will from them, would be enough to level the Kingdoms. All of Remnant would easily be torn asunder.

Ozpin took his head in both hands, fingers digging into his scalp.

"...Damn it..."

"Damn it."

Green energy coursed through, channeling an ancient power, as he kicked his desk away.

"Damn it!"

* * *

_He's back._

Evangeline sat up in her bed in the infirmary. Physically she was fine, almost completely healed. But she didn't want to go back to her team's room. There was no one there. Nothing but ghosts she didn't want to deal with yet. As the year had drawn to a close, with fourth-year graduation a little over a week away, the medical ward was nearly empty. With Professor Peach's permission, she had stayed there.

For two days she stayed in the room. Even after getting a change of clothes, Eva only left for meals. She didn't want to, though. Having to see everyone happily chatting away with their friends and teammates. The pitying looks cast her way when she entered a room. It was no secret now. Not with the memorial services to be held that weekend.

She was the only one to survive. She had been left alone.

So, here she was, surrounded by white walls and a single window. Unlike the room she had grown used to during her time at Beacon.

But unlike most of her time in this room, she was not alone. A mess of blonde hair stood near the door. Whisker marks marred his face. What the young woman found most odd about him were the nine tails that followed behind him.

She wasn't sure what to make of those. And she couldn't ask. The young woman couldn't understand what he said, and she didn't think he could understand her own words.

But that was okay. She found solace in his company. He would appear silently. Like a shadow no one was aware of. And he didn't say anything. He just listened to her sing. Every now and then her eyes would meet his. There was no pity in his gaze. Maybe sympathy? But more than that, there was understanding. In a strange way, it was comforting.

However, for the past two days, the young man she had met that night, who smiled despite his own sadness, had been replaced with someone lost. Eyes that shined were dull. Evangeline didn't like that. She didn't know why, but it felt out of place. In his own way, the boy was helping her. Maybe she could help him this once.

She turned around in her bed, her legs hanging off the edge. She made sure to catch his gaze as she began to sing. As the words left her lips, she focused on her memories. Three little girls running through a small village, her smaller size falling behind the energetic Chandra and Melaina. The two stopped their running, smiling and holding out their hands for her to take.

Fairytales that were read to them by their parents, and how they would reenact the heroes slaying the dark beasts. The older they got, the more the dream solidified. The three vowed to become Huntresses.

The years went by in a whirlwind. Beacon Initiation had come. In the Emerald Forest, she had met her partner. He introduced himself as Silas Gideon. She didn't know at the time how important they would become to each other.

Team Amethyst was formed. Chandra was on a different team, but it didn't cause her to drift from her and Melaina. Though, the fiery girl would always bump heads with Eva's team leader. Chandra's partner Varian was just as loud and outgoing as herself. Colette was shy and gentle, helping Evangeline with writing her songs. Min would be dragged into the chaos that his two teammates would cause.

Those were fun memories. Happy memories. The type of thing to hold onto when one felt they had lost it all. Something that someone, who looked like the blonde in front of her, needed.

Barefeet touched the cold marble floor, as Evangeline made her way to the boy standing at the wall. He watched her, listening to her voice as she continued to sing. His slouched figure had straightened slightly, and his dull eyes had a bit more color. She was getting through. She knew it. And for some reason, she had known how. They were both lost. They both had lost.

The platinum blonde took the whiskered boy's hand in both her own;

"Cherish everything that you love,

Hold them closer still in the years to come.

Don't let go, even though, time keeps going on."

He smiled at her. A kind, gentle smile. Her mouth shut as he pulled her into a hug.

"T-Tha-nk y-ou," he stuttered out.

It was broken up, and difficult for him. But he had tried to reach her, as she had tried to reach him. She let her arms wrap around his neck, just before he pulled away, and left.

Leaving her alone, with her memories that made her feel warmer, despite the tears trailing down her face.

* * *

Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed, focusing on the foreign energy in his body. Unlike the chakra he took from Naruto, whatever this was had not only stayed in him but mixed itself with his own chakra reserves. He attempted to focus the power in his sole hand which became coated in darkness, bone plating appearing at the tips and knuckles. From his wrist up, the color of his skin drained to white.

Next, he focused on his left arm, or what remained. He poured the dark chakra to it, watching as strands of shadows weaved together. As a new arm formed, the hand appeared as an exact copy of his right. Small ivory plating covered the top of his limb. He flexed the fingers, digging the nails into its palm. He was amazed to find he could feel it.

Behind him, the ravenette sensed negativity. Another addition granted to him. It was familiar, though lessened somewhat. Naruto.

"What do you want?"

The blonde made his way into the Uchiha's eyesight, "To talk."

It was odd to see his rival's appearance, the tails waving lazily as his new pair of ears stood up.

"Why?"

"Because we're friends, Sasuke," he answered, tiredly. "Because it's only us now."

"It's only me. I don't need you."

"Just listen-"

"No, you listen," Sasuke interrupted. "I severed my bonds. I cut ties with that village. But you just couldn't let go. I made my choice, so why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"I don't know!" Naruto shouted over him. "I don't know why! Everything says I should. I was told to give up so many times. To forget about bringing you back, but I just can't! I look at you, I see the things you do, and it hurts. It hurts so damn much... Because I can see you're struggling. How much you're willing to sacrifice. I don't agree with what you've done, but I understand. At least I think I do..."

"You understand nothing."

"I understand that you're suffering. Just like me, you were alone. But unlike you, I never knew my family. You had yours taken from you. It ate at you. It gave you purpose. And because of that, you grew into someone willing to take on the world's hatred so no one else would have to suffer."

Sasuke's body shook, "I just wanted revenge."

"Than why did you want to become Hokage? Why not just destroy Konoha?"

That was...

"You care, Sasuke. In your own way. You were willing to suffer, to bear the weight of the world yourself. But I'm not willing to let you."

"...Why?"

"Because we're friends."

That word... It had been repeated so many times. Why did it hold so much weight right now? A fist was held in front of him, the blonde waiting with his arm outstretched. His trademark sunny smile wasn't there, instead, he wore a small grin that said he already knew what was going to happen next.

"Idiot."

His right arm back to normal, Sasuke met Naruto's fist with his own.

* * *

Ozpin sat behind his desk, elbows propped up on the desk with his finger entwined as his gaze settled on the two in front of him. It had been a little over a week since he had been in contact with Naruto or Sasuke, though that didn't mean he wasn't keeping tabs on them. Having Peach find out what she could, while having Professor Hugh teach them History and Common language, at Ozma's suggestion.

"How are our guests?"

"Physically they're fine," Peach answered him. "Against all medical knowledge and common sense I possess-"

"So, only medical knowledge, then?" the burly man next to her interrupted.

"-the two are walking around as if nothing happened.," she finished, sending him a glare.

"Honestly, I find it hard to believe that they were as injured as you say," the man said. "Especially that Naruto. The kid can't even stay seated during my lectures."

Ozpin cocked an eyebrow, "Are you saying that he hasn't been attending your class, Bruno?"

Bruno stood barely a head taller than the woman beside him. His hair, a rusty red, combed and tied into a knot at the back. Though covered by a black trench coat, the muscles he had sculpted throughout the years were still noticeable.

He waved a gloved hand, " Not exactly."

* * *

When Bruno was called in by the headmaster early that Monday, the thought of having to give speech and history lessons to two teenagers he could hardly communicate with was not on his list of expectations. And it was with that thought that he wandered into what should have been a nearly empty lecture hall, to be met with a sea of blondes in Beacon's school uniform, each identical to the picture of Naruto Uzumaki the headmaster had shown him.

Some talked amongst themselves, while others were immersed in some kind of book. A few had fallen asleep on said books. Amidst this army was the lone black dot. A ravenette with mismatched eyes, skimming through a book before handing it off to a blonde that either opened it themselves or passed it down. He then took another text from the stack on his right to repeat the process.

The Professor cleared his throat, "Good evening. My name is Bruno Hugh. The Headmaster has asked me to give you lessons on the history of the Kingdoms, as well as speaking the language commonly used among them."

His introduction was met by a chorus of what he guessed was 'Hello' by the blondes and a bored look from whom he recognized as Sasuke Uchiha. Well, at least they understood what he said. That's one hurdle out of the way.

"Now, I was under the impression that there would only be two of you. Who are the rest?"

There was a brief silence before all the blondes roared with laughter. Over the cachinnation, he could hear shouts in a foreign language.

The professor's jaw twitched, "Mind informing me what all of you find so amusing?"

Slowly the boys calmed down, a snicker here and there within the group, and Bruno noticed Sasuke roll his eyes, whether in amusement or annoyance he wasn't sure.

The young man on the Uchiha's right answered, "Wir clons."

"Clowns?" Were these fools making a mockery of his class?!

Naruto held up his arms in an X, "Not clawns, clons! Coopies!"

Copies? Was that his semblance? And to make that many of them, each with their own physical form...

"And for what purpose do you need to use your semblance in this class."

"It would take forever for him to explain," the ravenette told Bruno, in surprisingly clear common language. "Anything the clones learn is transferred to the original. Anything they know, he'll know."

The whiskered teen turned his head with his cheeks puffed, probably upset that his friend had explained his ability before he could. The professor wasn't interested in the boy's childishness, but his ability to make physical clones that could pass on their knowledge to the originator. The possibilities for a semblance like that were numerous!

And then two things clicked in his head. One was the language barrier that should have been between him and them. While Naruto seemed to be struggling a bit more in that department then his friend, who seemed to be fluent in a tongue Ozpin said they had little knowledge of, he was still able to communicate fairly well. Meaning that either the Headmaster didn't give Bruno all the information, or there were details that the duo had kept secret.

The second was a bit more pressing, "When you said _We're clones_, did you mean all of you?"

That was met with nods from each present blonde.

"Then where is-"

Just then, the recently closed door opened to reveal another Naruto, this one standing in the doorway, a bowl of noodles carefully balanced on one of his tails while eating from it with his only hand.

* * *

"And from there the number of copies in my class have gone down, but I'm sure that they've been wandering the halls," the Professor concluded his story.

"Wait, wait, wait," Peach said, "You're saying that Uzumaki can clone himself... And you didn't bother to tell us about this before now?!"

The larger man recoiled, "Everyone has a semblance, no matter how beneficial or disadvantageous. It was nothing I believed noteworthy."

"If it were just that, you would be correct," Ozpin told him, "But these young men are an unusual case."

"One of the issues with that is the fact that neither of them has aura," Peach informed her confused co-worker, "Meaning that his cloning ability isn't a semblance or even a power we're familiar with."

The headmaster displayed several screens, "The second is this. Tell me, what do you see here?"

Bruno let his eyes wander across each display, revealing to him several different areas of the academy. The numbers in the corner informing him that they were recorded days prior.

"Nothing," he finally answered. "Nothing out of the ordinary, at least."

"Exactly," The headmaster said. "And the problem with that is if Mister Uzumaki had as many clones as you said wandering the halls, where are they?"

His eyes widened, "But that's impossible! He could fill the halls with copies of himself!" The professor's sight went back to the recordings, "What about the library or cafeteria."

The videos cut out and were replaced, "They've been seen in both of those places, but Naruto was never in two places at once." Ozpin continued. "And if what you say is true, then he's not canceling his ability. In which the possibility that he is purposefully avoiding our watch is high."

"But why?! For what reason could a teenager have to do that?"

"While I have a theory or two," Ozpin set his eyes on Peach, "I hope that whatever you found out about them would be more conclusive."

She sighed, "As I said, physically the two are fine. Mentally, though, I can't get a read on them. Uzumaki can be loud, sure, but if there's something he doesn't want to answer, he'll dance around it. Anything about what he likes or dislikes, the guy will go on and on. But ask him anything more personal, and he becomes quieter and cryptic."

"What about Mister Uchiha?"

"Nothing," was the immediate answer. "His likes or dislikes. Family. Friends. He never answered any of my questions. Even when I asked him about his eyes, he never reacted. It was like talking to a brick wall if the wall could glare at you."

Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose. The sum of what he knew about those two, outside fragments of their ability and that they were the ones responsible for the chaos and death over a week ago, was almost zero.

"And where are the two now?" The headmaster asked.

* * *

A black arm rocketed forward, extending towards the blonde on the other side of the small clearing in the middle of the Emerald Forest. Deflected by a palm, the bone plating stood up, launching off the limb in a mass of white projectiles. Naruto's tails came over him, creating a ball of fur, hardened by chakra, causing the strikes to bounce off him harmlessly. Recalling how an ally and friend had fought before, the shinobi curled up and rolled forward at great speed. Closing in on Sasuke, the ball went skyward, unraveling and coming down with nine spears.

With a pulse, the ravenette halted his opponent mid-air, sending the blonde backward. A clone, dressed in the same the orange, black sleeved t-shirt, and black pants as the original, came into existence, grabbing ahold of his creator and sending him once more towards the Uchiha.

Sasuke's Rinnegan pulsed again. From the trees around the two, several Beowolves pounced, focusing solely on Naruto, just as they were commanded. The tips of his tails gathered small balls of chakra. Two of his attackers put down by the swirling energy masses. Fizzling out, the other seven appendages lost control of the technique. Having failed, he used the remaining tails to swat the beasts away like annoying pests.

The distraction was enough for the ravenette's Grimm arm to pierce through his target, only for it to go up in smoke, the real Naruto replaced by a clone, now standing a few feet away from where he had been.

They stood there, Sasuke's arm back at his side and Naruto's tails tensed. A moment passed, and the tension from the two fled. The Uchiha dusted off his jeans, using his sole human arm to fix the collar on his deep violet blazer, as Naruto's extras relaxedly waved behind him.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked. "Nine Rasengan and only two went off?"

Naruto huffed, "It's these damned things. I can focus chakra to them, but trying to keep control has my head going in nine different directions. And you can control those creatures now?"

By those creatures, his friend must have meant the Grimm, "In a way. It might have something to do with this new energy, but with it and the Rinnegan I can force my will onto them."

He frowned at the afterthought, "But it's not perfect."

"What are you talking about?"

"You said that Nagato guy could summon beasts," Sasuke said. Naruto nodded. "That was my original plan. But it only worked partially by having the Grimm nearby come to me. At the same time, it felt like someone else was fighting for control."

"But I thought the Grimm were mindless."

"I'm sure they think the same about you," he retorted, ignoring Naruto's shout of _Oi!_. "Their ability to think aside, it's not them fighting me. It's something different. Farther away."

"So," Naruto thought, "There's someone else controlling them?"

"More or less."

The two drifted off into silence as that sunk in. One of the things the duo had learned from the brief time they had been here was that these Grimm, creatures of unknown origin, had no one they called master. They answered to no one, cared for no one, and killed for no known reason. But if what he felt was right, then there was a puppet master. A being pulling the strings, whether they be human, an intelligent Grimm, or something else.

"What about that other thing?"

Sasuke sighed, "I keep telling you that's going to take time _if_ it's even possible."

"We don't have time! They're still trapped in the-"

"And we're trapped here!" Sasuke interrupted.

It was a conversation they had had multiple times in the past week. While he hid it, the Uchiha was also concerned. And to be stuck in some unknown world, without a way back, while everyone was trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, was grating on him.

But even still, "There's nothing we can do about that right now. We're here, and we need to know more about this place. Our first stop will be where they said we were found. That might hold some answers on how to get back."

Naruto nodded, "We're still leaving tomorrow?"

"Sunrise," he answered. "Though, if you don't wake up, I'm leaving without you."

"Asshole."

"You should be used to falling behind, dead last."

Naruto's eyes, twin pools of sapphire even through their training match, blazed gold. His more beastly features taking over.

Sasuke smirked at the change. It was an odd thing. For so long he attempted to sever ties with the one in front of him. To make himself stronger. But, as the Uchiha's hair faded white and skin drained of color, he couldn't help but think maybe he had been wrong. He didn't know if it was fighting with his equal, or maybe the speech the blonde had forced him to listen to...

But something had changed. And instead of cutting ties with his friend, brother in all but blood, he'd now rather protect that bond. If only that single one.

His Sharingan activated, the white of his eye turning black, the two charged at each other. Their real training just beginning.

* * *

Evangeline moved around the dorm room, her stuff packed up, and her friends' belongings taken by family after the memorial service. It was so quiet, the laughs and arguments that had taken place here seeming so far away. She choked back her cry. She'd done enough of that.

Tomorrow was graduation, and she wouldn't tarnish the name of Team Amethyst by refusing to keep moving.

On a desk, the one thing left to pack was a group photo. Silas stood tall, a smile on his face as his arms were wrapped around her. Melaina holding out a drawing of them, cartoonish with hearts floating above, wearing a wide grin. Ciarra sat below the three, her wings folded back. Their leader's lips tugged upwards, barely noticeable at a glance. Off to the side, Chandra was pulling Min to them. Varian laughing loudly at his teammate's antics, and Colette a hand over her mouth in amusement.

So many good memories that she would treasure.

"Is that them?"

Eva didn't even jump in surprise, having gotten used to her new friend sneaking up on her.

She nodded, "Yea. That's them. I think they would have liked you. Though, Varian was a bit of a prankster."

"Heh. I've been known to pull a prank or two."

The young woman laughed at the thought. What would it have been like for her friends to have met Naruto? A scarier thought, what kind of trouble would they have gotten into?

"What happened?" he asked.

"I... I don't really know. The eight of us were on a mission. There was a lot of Grimm gathering outside Greenside Village. We were there to protect the people and wipe out the threat. Min, well, he always had to have plans on top of plans."

Naruto chuckled, "I have a friend like that."

"One his plans, incase the Grimm came close, was for me to keep the civilians calm with my semblance. I, my fiance Silas, and most of the villagers had gathered in the village chief's manor. I thought everything was going fine, but then everything outside got loud. Explosions and the ground shaking. Our radios cut in and out."

She paused, collecting her thoughts.

"It all just kind of spiraled from there. Silas had left to take care of some Creeps that had gotten in the village. Next thing I know, there was a blast and the manor collapsed. I woke up here, and that's when..."

Naruto's hand clasped down on her shoulder, giving what comfort he could.

"When the headmaster told me they were gone," she finished. "I didn't ask how. I don't think I wanted to know."

"I'm sorry."

Eva shook her head.

"It's not your fault," she told him. "Though, I do remember something strange Melaina had said. Something about a giant fox and a demon."

For some reason, the hand on her shoulder tightened.

* * *

**During Eva's first part in this chapter, the words she sang to Naruto came from AmaLee's cover of Silhouette. I played around with her singing the entire song, but decided against it. But let me know if I was to pull a Macross Frontier, and have Eva perform a concert during a fight, who'd be upset if I typed out the lyrics? Asking for a friend... And a Mecha White Rose RWBY idea...**

**Also, my mindset for Naruto not hiding his Shadow Clones. From what I remember, he used the technique like it was going out of style, and never really hid it. At least, that's how I remember it. I could be wrong.**

**Next Chapter: February 20th**

**Until next time!**


	5. New Beginning

**Before we get started, I saw some people wondering why Naruto and Sasuke would be surprised, quoting Obito, Kaguya, and Sasuke's ability to traverse dimensions should make them not be. My reply to that is; Obito is dead, so no Kamui. Kaguya is sealed, no Otsutsuki bullshit. And Sasuke has yet to gain the ability to do so, and no, Amenotejikara is not that ability. So, with all the ones capable of sending them away accounted for (I think), why would they not be surprised at dimension travel when no one should have been able to use an ability like that during their fight?**

**Beta**: OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 5 - New Beginning**

* * *

_"__A giant fox and a demon"_

Those words resounded in his mind. He and Sasuke had been told they were found near a destroyed village, but never how or why it had been destroyed. But it had been them. They were the ones to destroy people's homes. Destroyed lives. Killed Evangeline's friends.

He felt cold. While brief, the relationship between the two was very real. And he had watched her cry... Cry for her teammates who had died because of him.

It was like a blow to the gut. The blonde had done his best to mask his reaction, making an excuse to leave the dorm room. Abandoning her in a room of haunting memories of his creation.

"You're back early."

Sasuke's voice brought the blonde out his thoughts. Naruto's eyes focused to find he had made his way back to their shared room. Private quarters, usually reserved for staff a living room and kitchen separated only by a counter. A door left of their living area led to a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.

This had been their room since they got out of the Academy's medical wing. While secluded, they had been treated as special guests.

_Or dangerous criminals..._

He hadn't thought much of it. A room for him and Sasuke, away from the students. Asked not to wander around or attract too much attention to themselves. Checked on occasionally by the staff like Thumbelina Peach, Bruno Hugh, and Ann Greene to see how they were doing, who were usually very friendly.

But the more who looked back, the more he understood. They had been isolated and constantly monitored. The shinobi was a threat. They were dangerous...

Naruto closed the door behind him, stumbling through and sitting on a backless stool, even his tails drooped down.

"What happened?"

The blonde didn't turn around, didn't speak for a moment. Did Sasuke know what they had done?

"Do you know?"

The Uchiha returned his question with another, "Know what?"

"What we did," Naruto swallowed. "The things we ruined. The lives we ended..."

"No," was the reply.

Naruto raised his face to look towards the other shinobi. The ravenette wasn't looking at him. Once more he was focusing on his new ability, the thin black arm shifting occasionally. From a make-shift limb to a single edge blade, and then to a Beowolf claw.

All the while, he seemed disinterested with what Naruto had told him.

"Don't you care?" the blonde whispered.

Sasuke looked up, "Hmm?"

"Don't you care?" he said louder. "I just told you we killed people! Not our enemies but innocent lives!"

His arm dissipated, "I don't know."

"How can you not know?!"

"Because I don't know anything about this world. I have no reason to care about these people," Sasuke met Naruto's eyes. "And I'm not you, Naruto. I was ready to kill all who stood in my way. Tell me, have you ever taken a life?'

"That..." Naruto thought back. He was a shinobi. Trained to fight for Konoha. He would be expected to defend his home and the people that lived there. But had he ever taken the next step?

"The White Zetsus?"

"A mindless bunch of living weapons," the ravenette refuted. "Whoever they once were had already died. So, the answer is no. At least, none that either of us can remember. The killing goes hand-in-hand with being a shinobi, yet you've been able to avoid that."

"Until now..."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked. "I don't remember crushing a village underfoot. The only person I even saw was whoever thought it was a good idea to step into our fight, and I didn't kill them."

"So tell me, how do you know it's our fault?"

* * *

Ozpin sat at his desk at the early hours of the night, going over potential student candidates for the coming year. No matter how many demi-god teenagers drop into Remnant as great monstrosities, paperwork will always remain the same.

The first form he picked up had a picture of a blonde-haired boy that had just turned seventeen. Around average height, with care-free blue eyes. The form covered his grades from previous schools, his preferred fighting style, and weapon, as well as some facts about his personality and behavior.

**"The boy has skill."**

Ozpin scoffed, "Above average grades in combat class are great. If only he could say the same for general studies."

**"****They aren't that bad. Tell me who among last year's student body didn't have less than average scores in anything other than combat class."**

"Point, but what about his behavioral record?"

**"****He's still a teenager. What are a few jokes among friends?"**

"He had another boy in his class believing they had to wear a dress to graduation," Ozpin deadpanned.

**"A harmless prank, I assure you."**

"Do we want a prankster in this school. We're supposed to be raising great defenders, not comedians."

**"One of the strongest individuals on Remnant at this time is a trickster."**

There was silence before the man let out a defeated sigh and gave his stamp of approval at the top right of the application. Just because he approved to give the boy a chance, didn't mean that he'd be able to pass the Initiation exam. If the boy can make the Grimm and other examinees laugh into submission, good on him.

The next file contained two applications. Twins of a small tribe outside the Kingdom. No formal education, but from the tests they had taken because of that, proved that their education wasn't lacking. Even in combat, the two were at a higher level than most of the hopefuls. However, in the space to include and explain their semblance, the girl left it blank, while her brother...

**"Well, that's unfortunate."**

Ozpin let out a groan. For someone that had lived for so long, fighting another immortal, one would think he'd be more serious.

**"Bad Luck semblance aside, they're here for a reason." **

"I know," Ozpin replied. Those that lived outside the walls usually wanted to live out from under the Kingdoms' thumb. So, what were two outsiders, from a bandit tribe no less, hope to achieve by coming into Beacon's, and Vale's, line of sight?

Were they runaways? It wasn't unheard of. Several people would become disillusioned with the life they had chosen and try to gain sanctuary. And what better way than where their clan knows they could never come? Something in Ozpin's mind told him that wasn't right. Looking at the twin's pictures, something seemed off. The boy looked like he was bored, as if being there was an inconvenience. His sister, on the other hand, had a fierce look of determination. Something was driving her, and it wasn't fear.

Perhaps they had been ordered to come to the school. These two had no Wanted posters and no known criminal activity. To gather information on the inside, kids were the best to send.

Ozpin couldn't help but smirk as he stamped his approval on both applications. Whatever the game they were trying to play, he was more than willing to win.

**"Your competitive nature is going to create a lot of problems."**

"My competitive nature got me the job as Headmaster."

There was one more file on his desk. A girl, small for her age, caught him up short. Because of his resident migrating soul, he had learned of various tales. The Two Brothers. The Maidens of the Seasons. And The Silver-Eyed Tribe. Despite being told these were all true, Ozpin never put much stock into the stories. But it was hard to deny them when the evidence was in his hands.

"She has silver eyes."  
**"She has silver eyes."**

Though Ozpin was surprised to find out the legends were true, the pseudo immortal was shocked to find out that there were still remnants of the once worshipped and most feared clan. The Silver-Eyed tribe was known as the greatest warriors, able to kill Grimm with nothing more than a look. Their skill and battle prowess was known throughout the world, but what he remembered most, was that they came after the Brothers had left the world. They held powers outside the realm of what the ancient gods had abandoned them with.

Even without her relations to the legendary tribe, the girl's transcripts from the recently established Signal Academy spoke volumes. Her grades in nearly all classes were above the other students. Notes from the combat class spoke of how she could control her Aura to such an advanced degree, that Ozpin had to admit, most Beacon graduates couldn't compete.

The headmaster barely got halfway down the first page before stamping his seal of approval. Even if the girl didn't have silver eyes, she was exactly what Beacon Academy was looking for. Her ability matched only by a blonde-haired girl he had approved earlier that day.

Closing the file, Ozpin stretched his limbs with a small smile on his face. Not only was it finally over, but he had also quite possibly obtained two students that the Headmasters from the other schools would envy. Even with all the trouble makers, the man could feel. This year was going to be...

There was a knock on his door.

"Enter," he called.

It opened to reveal the two he had not wanted to see. One more so than the other. While Naruto was just a hazard, from what he had been told, the whiskered teen had a more sunny personality. Those who hadn't seen the video didn't know of his power, would claim he was one of the nicest guys they had ever met.

Ironically, he had even easily befriended one of the few survivors of the Emergence Incident.

No, while dangerous in his own right, it was the young man behind him that set Ozpin on edge.

Sasuke Uchiha was an enigma. Quiet and no-nonsense, unlike his companion. And then there was his ability to dive into another person's soul. That was unnerving on its own, but what else could he do? Both of their abilities were wrapped in a lot of mystery, but it was the ravenette he truly feared.

One had to question how that kind of person accompanied someone like the blonde.

"And what do I owe the pleasure of your company at this time of night?"

It was Naruto that stepped up, lips set in a frown and eyes hard as steel, "You found us near a destroyed a village. How was it destroyed?"

He had expected a few things. A request for supplies for when they left, as he knew they were about too. Maybe a guide for their journey. He and Ozma both wouldn't mind keeping them monitored. But to ask about Greenside Village...

"Why do you want to know?"

"Eva," Naruto spoke, "she told me that her friends died on a mission there. That one of them said they had seen a giant fox and a demon -"

"And you wish to know if it was you who stole them from her," the headmaster finished.

The blonde nodded.

Ozpin hid his surprise well. A monster that cared. That was what he had called him. That care, he thought, was for his own people. But did that extend to those of Remnant as well? Or maybe just the bond the blonde shared with his student.

Ozpin agreed to the request, "I can show you. Pictures of the site. And video sent to me from Miss Seraphina's teammate, Melaina Adelyn's, scroll."

Without another word, he pulled up the recording. Showing Ciarra Avacyn speaking with the one behind the device, watching as the two world travelers fought on. A cage fell over them, the winged woman's semblance, but had easily been broken. That video cut out and was replaced with another. Melaina sending the passed out woman away from the Grimm filled sky. A fight for her life followed. A fight she lost as numbers overcame her, and her body torn apart and devoured.

From the corner of his eye, the headmaster watched as Naruto's nails bit into his palm.

After that, he pulled up multiple pictures taken of the site. The broken dome made from dust scattered around, white pillars sticking up here and there. Homes crushed by rubble, and several Hunters searching for survivors. Bodies of humans and faunus carried away from ruins, with a triage set up. Some in need of immediate attention, few that could be delayed but would need attention. Even fewer with minimal injuries. The most were those set off to the side. To far gone to be saved, or had already passed.

The screen disappeared, "There you have it. You wished to know what had happened, and I have shown you."

"We... We did this?"

Sasuke beat Ozpin to the answer, "No."

"What?"

"What?!"

One was in confusion, the other in rage. The headmaster couldn't believe it. Did he not see that the only way such devastation could have happened was because of their sudden appearance?

"We're not responsible for this," the ravenette continued. "Our fight was away from the village."

Ozpin gritted his teeth, "You saw the cage come down around you. How she was trying to stop your fight."

He pointed at the Uchiha, "You looked at her directly, and broke through her semblance. You caused her injuries!"

"But I didn't kill her, which we all know I could have done so easily."

"If those wounds ended her life than that blood is on your hands."

"Then show me proof of her death," he demanded. "Prove to me that I was the cause."

The monitor on the headmaster's desk reappeared, this time with pictures sorted into different categories.

The names Varian Arun, Silas Gideon, Melaina Adelyn, and Colette Lune, pictures of each individual under the words ' Killed in Action '.

Beneath that, were those Missing; Chandra Flametta, Min Yeong-Ho, and Ciarra Avacyn.

"Missing," Sasuke said. "You're blaming me for the death of someone not even confirmed dead."

"Than what of Colette Lune?" Ozpin brought up the pictures of the limbs around the bone-like structure. "That came from. That killed my student."

Ozpin saw the Uchiha's indifferent expression crack for a second, "An unfortunate coincidence."

"But you accept that you killed her?"

"Unintentionally, but yes."

Ozpin gripped his desk, "How can you speak of it so nonchalantly?"

"Regrettably, she was caught up in my attack, but it happens. Barely different from being killed by the Grimm."

"How cold can you be? What if that was your friend? Your family?!"

"Then she would have been dead way before now."

Ozpin recoiled. What did that mean? Had his family and friends all died? Had he been the one to kill them? The young man wasn't about to elaborate.

"But yes, I killed her. If you want to blame me, feel free," Sasuke told him. "But what about Naruto? You say we were responsible, yet the only one who had spilled blood so far was me."

"The Grimm," Ozpin refuted. "There had been a gathering a short way from Greenside Village, but when you both appeared, the amount of Grimm multiplied into massive numbers."

The Uchiha gave him a dry look, "Accusing us of bringing the Grimm down on them when we didn't even know what they were?"

"But the fact remains that it was your battle that attracted them."

"Another coincidence," Sasuke told him. "And if you hadn't noticed, I absorbed the Grimm-"

"**He did what?!"**

"And just touching Naruto caused them to disperse. If anything, we took out the Grimm. And according to your photos, there should have been a structure put up to keep them out."

"Which the clash between you two destroyed and brought down on the village!"

"Than the blame lies on the one who put up the barrier without thinking ahead."

"How was anyone supposed to know two creatures with so much power would just drop down on them?"

Naruto flinched at the creature remark, but Ozpin didn't care.

Sasuke shrugged, "That's not our problem."

"Sasuke!"

Such a simple answer. And infuriating. He didn't care. Maybe the blonde did, but as the conversation went on, a good bit of the blame came onto the young man that had done most of the talking. And said the young man simply didn't give a damn.

"Get out."

His voice was low, but Naruto picked up the words, "But-"

"Get out!" He yelled. "Get out of my office! Get out of my school! And get out of my dimension!"

Sasuke's only reaction was to turn to leave, while Naruto stood there. What he was thinking, the headmaster could not have cared less. The blonde had made to speak but instead chose to bow his head and follow his friend.

So caught up in himself, Ozpin didn't hear the whisper from his tenant.

"**The God of Darkness..."**

* * *

The time to leave came early, and as the two shinobi walked through the streets of Vale, dressed in their only set of clothes and nothing on their backs, they headed for the walls. The silence was another companion of theirs. What Sasuke was thinking, he didn't know. But Naruto's mind had been lost in a storm.

He wanted to leave. To find out more about this world, and hopefully discover a way back. And it needed to be soon. But that was something he couldn't control. Even Sasuke, if he had the ability, didn't know how to use it. And there was no telling how long it would take to control the ability to that degree.

Yet, he couldn't help but think back. To Eva's friends. To the night before in Ozpin's office. How Sasuke had let himself be condemned to protect him, or so he thought. Maybe those were his friend's real thoughts. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right. That maybe there could have been something he could have done.

"We're here."

Naruto looked up to see the gate to enter and exit the Kingdom. A steel door several stories high, with guards manning the controls to the door. He and Sasuke took out their scrolls, gifted to them by big sis Ann, and set up to classify them as Huntsman, making it easier for them to get around Remnant.

As Sasuke moved forward, Naruto stood still. It wasn't until the gate began to open that Sasuke turned to him.

"Come on."

The blonde looked back the way they came, towards Beacon Academy. Their graduation would be in a few hours, and his friend would stand without her team. Even if Sasuke says he wasn't to blame, the weight was there.

As if reading his thoughts, Sasuke spoke, "He told us to leave. Besides, what can you do locked away in there?"

Naruto shook his head, "I don't know, but there has to be something."

The ravenette sighed, "And what about returning home? Releasing the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"

"We will!" he declared, "But I can't take us home, and I don't know how long it will take you to be able to. For now, there has to be something I can do for them."

"Naruto, you didn't-"

"Maybe I didn't," the whiskered teen interrupted. "But I was part of the cause."

Sasuke sighed again, "Idiot. Fine, do whatever you want."

Naruto pocketed his scroll, making his final decision, "Keep in touch."

"Of course."

"Let me know what you find."

Sasuke nodded.

"Remember to wash regularly."

"I really will kill you."

Naruto chuckled, holding his arm out, "Don't go starting any revolutions."

Sasuke smirked as his fist met Naruto's.

* * *

Evangeline stood up on stage, the fourth year graduation coming to a close. In the audience, she could make out her mother's figure, a proud smile lit up her face. But that was the only one. The parents of Melaina and Chandra had no reason to be there. She had wondered if they would hate her for living when their own children were gone, but they had hugged her and said they were so glad to see she was okay.

The young woman had hoped to see them standing with her mom, but that might have been to selfish a wish. And maybe to see her new friend who had vanished the day before. Where had he gone?

The headmaster took to the stand beside her, "Thank you, everyone, for coming to see Beacon's finest leave this Academy and make their way in the world. To those who we have lost in our ongoing war with the creatures of darkness, and to those who continue the battle. You are the beacons of light in this world. "

There was silence as those words swept over the audience. Some of the graduates sitting in front of the stage held their heads up high, while the families couldn't quite hide the looks of worry that crossed their faces. Behind Eva and the Professors, a board lit up with names of her fallen comrades.

_In Remembrance_

_Though our body's weak and breakable_

_The spirit is indomitable._

"Now, I give the stage over to Evangeline Seraphina, who we have asked to sing for our closing ceremony."

As he turned, the headmaster patted her shoulder and gave her an encouraging grin, before making his way back to his seat. She stood behind the stand, taking the mic into her hand. She let out a breath before giving the signal to start instrumental recording she had made two months prior.

"You long to set the world straight but you will fail if you wait or hesitate.  
So take aim and pull the trigger back!"

As the music picked up, and the student body reacted to the music, the young woman focused on her emotions. To bring out the confidence and determination in her fellow warriors.

"There was a time when I knew of love and amity,  
but if faded like the warmth inside a falling tear.  
Is it a crime to see fault in our humanity?  
Why do we create this cycle of hate breeding more fear?

There's a pain deep inside of me  
And I'm struggling to stay alive.  
But if we can last I know  
We'll live to see a brighter tomorrow!"

Eva's eyes widened. There, at the back of the crowd, was a mess of blonde hair. Teeth showing with a goofy grin, arm outstretched and thumb up. She couldn't stop her own wide grin forming on her face.

"You long to set the world straight,  
but you will fail if you wait or hesitate.  
So take aim and pull the trigger back.

Through every fear that you fight  
You're giving life to a spark of crimson red.  
It burns bright just waiting to ignite!"

As our impulses ring aloud  
This world's evolving to the sound  
Of a new beginning!"

Several of her classmates had taken to their feet, her positive emotions spreading through them. Kicking their chairs away as the abundance of energy surged through them.

"That relentless sound I know so well  
Always deafening but I can never pull away.

The die is cast  
And you can't restart or change the past.  
But if given one more chance could you carve the way?"

In the back, Naruto had let his hand down, his eyes focused on her.

"I can feel it waste away inside but the fire in me hasn't died!  
And I would rather sell my soul then watch it all slowly fade away!

I'm sick of being afraid and living by the mistakes that I have made  
But I'll change that with these hands of mine.  
Believing in something more, I'll carve a path through that rusted doorway  
There's still more that's still worth fighting for."

The students yelled their resolve as one, shocking the visitors who watched the fighters let their willpower shine through.

"Our battle cry is rising higher as raw emotion fuels the fire  
Piercing through the night sky.

The shooting stars fall upon the darkness  
Until the skies are pitch black and starless  
But when the world is reborn the curtains open wide!

You long to set the world straight but you will fail if you wait or hesitate  
So take aim and pull the trigger back!

Through every fear that you fight, you're giving life to a spark of crimson red.  
It burns bright just waiting to ignite!

As our impulses ring aloud, this world's evolving to the sound  
Of a new beginning!"

As the song came to an end, the graduating class let loose their caps into the sky. Making his way to her, Naruto came to stop in the center of the crowd. To lost in their own world to even notice him, but not her. She could see the resolution in his eyes and the words he mouthed;

_"Thanks again."_

* * *

"I believe I told you to leave."

Behind the stage, away from prying eyes, Naruto approached Beacon's headmaster.

He nodded, "You did."

"And yet you're still here," Ozpin stated. "What of Mister Uchiha?"

"Gone," he answered. "But I couldn't leave."

"I beg to differ," the older man said, "You're perfectly capable of leaving."

"But I won't," the whiskered teen's eyes hardened as Ozpin's did the same.

"What do you want, Mister Uzumaki."

"I want to join Beacon."

The headmaster's expression turned to one of confusion, "You want to what?"

"I want to join your school," Naruto repeated. "I don't know how I got here, or why. I don't know if I'm responsible for all those people that died, but I know that I feel responsible."

"And if I deny your request?"

"Then I'll help these people anyway," he answered. "I'll protect them, protect this world, and then go back and save my own."

Ozpin was stunned. Eyes wide and speechless.

"Why?" he eventually asked. "Why go that far for people you don't know? That isn't from your world?"

"Because I'm Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde thumbed at his headband. "Believe it!"

* * *

**Song used was Ignite English Cover by AmaLee. She has stated in the video details that as long as it's non-profit, the lyrics and mp3 are free to use. And that's the last we'll see of Eva for a long while. To anyone that wanted to see Naruto cave in on himself because of what he discovered, you may be disappointed with this chapter, but I just don't see him as that kind of character. To me, he's more of an "If I can't do it, I'll do it anyway". Ridiculous amounts of confidence, that one.**

**But that's my opinion.**

**Next Chapter: February 27th**

**Until next time.**


	6. Friends, Foes, and Thieves

**And we get to the introduction of the STRQ cast... Well, some of them. And a fun little surprise at the end. Fun for me, at least. Enjoyment may vary.**

**Also, Naruto Arm Guest; I have a few ideas, but none that I'm going to be putting in play right now. Might never, honestly. Sasuke may have a Grimm Arm, but Naruto has nine tails that he's learning to control.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 6 - Friends, Foes, and Thieves**

* * *

"Change of clothes?" Summer Rose looked up from her list and inside her opened suitcase. Stuffed to the brim were several shirts, shorts, pants, and her favorite pajamas.

"Check," she drew a line on the paper in her other hand. "Extra combat skirt?"

On the other side of her first suitcase was a smaller bag, containing an exact copy of her current outfit, a long-sleeved black shirt, and a black skirt. "Check."

"Thorns?" Within two shoulder holsters were a pair of pistols, colored silver with black grips. On each side, they were adorned with a red rose insignia. "Check."

"Summer!" A woman called for her, "Hurry up, or you're going to be late."

"Coming mom!" Summer crossed another line off her list, reaching the last one. "Experimental weapon that's going to be so cool when finished?"

On the far side of the room sat a beautiful red jewel-shaped shield leaned against a wall. "Check."

The teen made her way towards it, lifting it with both hands. Though not a weight she wasn't used to carrying, it would still be considered heavy by most. With a white belt, she strapped the object on the lower part of her back. Pulling the strap as tight as possible without it being uncomfortable, she collected her bags and left her room.

As she made her way through the hall the first thing to greet her was her mother in their small living room. The woman stood around the same height as her, shorter than the average person. Her hair was an onyx black that had begun to gray in some areas contrasting with youthful sapphire eyes.

"About time. I was beginning to worry that you decided not to go."

"Nope. Just making sure I had everything," the daughter replied. "Though, if you want to tell me how much you'll miss me, or how lonely you'll be while I'm gone-"

"Not a chance. I think I'm going to enjoy how quiet it'll be with you not blowing something up every other day."

"I haven't done that since last Tuesday!"

There was a brief silence before the mother-daughter duo fell into laughter.

"Here, this is for you." the woman handed Summer a cloak. White as snow on the outside, and bright red on the inside of it.

"But isn't this-"

"Your father's," she said. "He'd want you to have it."

As she placed the cloak on the teenage girl, Summer's gaze turned to an old picture. A smaller her riding on the shoulders of a man with crimson hair and silver eyes, wearing a white cloak he was seldom seen without.

"He'd be so proud of you," her mother said as she backed away from her daughter. Her eyes becoming teary, "I know I am."

With a nod, Summer collected herself and went out of the house, "I'm off!"

* * *

A crowd had formed near an airship port in Vale. Families and friends gathering around to support those getting ready to head up to the school.

"I guess even a loser like Taiyang can get accepted into an awesome school like Beacon," one of the boy's laughed, the onyx haired young man pulling his friend into a headlock.

The tanned blonde smirked, prying the other's arm off of him "All I'm hearing is jealousy, Zack. Want me to beat that out of ya?"

"Alright, alright. You'll both miss each other very much," A young man with a bowl cut wearing a pair of round glasses said. "Let's break it up. Don't want to give those gathered an R rated show."

Both Tai and Zack's eye developed a twitch, "You wanting to turn this into a three-way, four eyes?"

"Tai!" Interrupting the three were several girls, dressed up to the max and forcing their way through the crowd. Zack and Jason, the boy with glasses, knew from past experiences what the wave of approaching ladies was capable of, and had opted for a tactical retreat.

As they pushed themselves through, a brown-haired girl in front threw herself into Taiyang. His arms opened and awaiting her, a princely smile painted on his face.

"I'm so glad all of you would come to see me off." He told the group that had circled around him.

"Do you have to go?" the girl he was holding, which was collecting jealous looks from the surrounding, asked.

The tanned teen took the girl by her shoulders, "I'm sorry, but I must."

Making sure she had stable footing, Tai spread his arms out, "I know that goodbyes are sad. My heart too is wounded from such a sorrowful event."

While the ladies were enraptured by his words, the two guys watched as their friend slowly and carefully backed up into the airship.

"But please understand," he continued. "My warrior soul must take up the call to arms against the greatest threat of man. I will give my all in training to become a slayer of the fierce Grimm. If we never meet again, know that whenever I step on to the battlefield, the love and admiration you have given me will be my strength!"

As the door began to close, Tai finished, "Though, if you want to send me letters, those two know how to get ahold of me."

"Don't get us involved!"  
"Don't get us involved!"

Laughing to himself as the airship took off, he made his way to the nearest open seat. Next to him was a boy with thick, round-framed glasses. His dark green hair laid down, slightly long as his bangs reached the tips of his eyewear. Well, if it was going to be a few hour's flight, I might as well try to talk to someone.

"Hey there, the name's Taiyang."

The teen flipped another page of his book as Tai kept a smile on his face.

After a moment of silence, "What's your name."

"Bartholomew."

And there was another sound of a page turned. Tai's expression began to tighten.

"That's a mouthful of a name, isn't it?"

When he didn't get an answer, the blonde let out a breath and leaned back in his seat, his head tilted so he was looking upwards. This was going to be the longest flight ever...

Just as that thought had begun to set in, he heard the sound of girls giggling. With a snap, he raised his head to see two pairs of eyes on him, their owners whispering to each other. Standing up while putting on a grin, he countered his first thought.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap!" A teen girl with shoulder-length brown hair ran towards an airship about to depart from Patch. Her outfit of a long-sleeved tight fit pearl shirt and midnight black pants disheveled from her panic of missing the transport to Beacon.

Her thoughts went to her older brother. Though kind-hearted, he was way too much of a busy body. Going from asking her if she had everything packed, to check it himself. As if she couldn't pack her own bags! Though, she did forget her toothbrush... As well as her shampoo and conditioner... And underwear... But that wasn't the point! Besides, who needs underwear? Her shirt and pants covered all the necessary parts anyway.

She loved her bother, really she did. But he needed to know that his little sister was growing up and was going to become an awesome Huntress.

"Ow!"

And for her first mission, she would run headlong into a white-cloaked girl. Perfect.

"I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else," the tanned girl said, reaching out her hand. "Are you alright?"

Silver eyes met hazel as the downed girl took the offered help, "I'm fine," she said. "Feels like I got hit by a ton of bricks... Again."

What the shorter girl had said was probably meant to be a whisper, but with the brunette's strained smile, she had quite obviously heard the other's mumbling.

"Excuse me?"

The silver-eyed girl began to frantically wave her hands, "I didn't mean that as an insult, I swear! I mean, it did feel like I got hit by a truck carrying two tons of dust going way over the speed limit, but that could be seen as a compliment, couldn't it? That just means you must've trained a lot and are really strong. Probably even stronger than most guys our age, if not older!"

_Could've done without the truck analogy, _she thought to herself.

"Yea, I'm pretty strong. Had to be if I wanted my brother to let his precious, fragile sister be a Huntress," she said. "And what did you mean by getting hit by bricks again?"

"Ah, about that," she gave a nervous laugh. "To train my semblance, my mom would throw bricks at me. She always told me if I could dodge a brick, I could dodge a bullet."

"Aren't thrown bricks slower than bullets?"

The cloaked girl took on a vacant expression, lost to memories long past, "No... No, they're not..."

Before anything else could be said, the sound of engines roaring to life resounded near them. On cue, the duo took off, bags firmly grasped in hand. As the door began to close, they leaped through the air and into the transport.

"Safe!"  
"Safe!"

"What do you two think you're doing?" The two looked to a platinum blonde teen that stood above their prone forms. Behind her glasses, emerald green eyes filled with disapproval.

The cloaked-girl was the first to answer, "Right now? Sitting."

That was not the right answer if her scowl was anything to go by.

"I meant why did you feel the need to jump into a ship that was taking off?"

The brunette tilted her head, "So we wouldn't miss the airship to Beacon."

And now the blonde developed a twitch.

"Why were you not here earlier?!"

"I would've been, but I forgot to set my alarm, and I was so excited that I stayed up all night checking my weapons. I got so caught up with that, I forgot to pack and didn't notice until this morning. But I had to eat breakfast before I packed, since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you can't do your best if you're hungry, right? Then I had to write a list of everything I needed for school, and my mom double-checked it-"

"Enough of that," the brunette interrupted, her hand covering the cloaked girl's mouth. "Anyway, why does it matter to you? We made it didn't we?"

The blonde readjusted her glasses, "It matters because Beacon Academy is known as one of, if not the, best school for training Huntsman and Huntresses. As such, we should strive to be the best. Your little stunt showed how unprepared you truly are."

She turned her back on the downtrodden silver-eyed girl, and the angered brunette, "This is not fun and games. If you do not wish to take this seriously, then you should not be here."

With her piece said, she walked away from the two. Missing the promise of_"I'll show her who's best..." _that came from the hazel-eyed girl behind her.

"Anyways," the cloaked-girl said, shaking off the departed girl's comments, "My name's Summer Rose."

Keeping her temper in check, while letting out a few more select curse words in the blonde's general area, the brunette took Summer's outstretched hand, "Gretchen. Gretchen Rainart."

They gave each other a toothy grin.

"Nice to meet you!"  
"Nice to meet you!"

* * *

A boy with blue-tinted onyx black hair, spiked in the front and a pony-tail trailing down his back, stood apart from the crowd. His pale blue eyes taking in the surroundings. In his opinion, he wasn't impressed. Several people his own age gathered together in small groups, gossiping and trying to fit in. Thinking of their future as "Defenders" of Remnant. What a joke. The Huntsman and Huntresses were little more than patriotic mercenaries. While not as restricted as the military, they were and will always be tools to be used by the council.

And as the only son of Councilman Osmond, they would bow to him as well.

But he wouldn't accept just anyone. This group of fools needed to be weeded out. Especially the filthy beasts that contaminated his Kingdom. His father always told him how the animals ruined whatever they touched. Savages that were little better than the creatures their features mimicked. They should all be placed on Menagerie and forgotten.

As his thoughts slowly became darker and darker, the teen noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Two black-haired individuals, probably twins going by their appearance. The guy with his legs outstretched, and arms crossed. His closed eyes and the rise and descent of his chest meaning he was most likely asleep. While he didn't seem like much, it was the woman beside him that caught Osmond's interest.

Her long, feathery black hair falling down her back, crimson eyes focused on the single-edged blade in her hand. A wonderfully made weapon at that. The teen wore a shallow cut red-and-black dress, mid-thigh high legging, and black heels. A dangerous beauty if there ever was one. Now, was just to make good first impressions.

Making sure to smooth any wrinkles out of his black Changshan, a Mistralian tunic he had his father get tailor-made for him, and plastering the gentle expression of a polite young man on his face, he made his way to introduce himself to the woman that had caught his eye.

"That's a lovely sword," he said, drawing the ravenette's eyes from her blade to him. "Almost as beautiful as its owner."

Honeyed words that were sweet to hear.

"What do you want?"

Not the response he was expecting. Compliments from him were usually met with a blush or shy smile. The person in front of him seemed to look at him with disinterest. Or was it annoyance? No matter.

"I apologize, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Nero Osmond." he bowed. "Could I have the honor of hearing yours?"

The ravenette's gaze shifted from Nero back to her blade, "Raven."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Raven."

Pleasant words meant nothing to her, was his inner thought. A woman of action. Instead of beating around the topic with people like this, it was better to be transparent.

"I know this may be sudden, but you do know that not everyone on this ship, or any of the others, will make it into the Academy, right?"

He attempted to plant in her mind that they were all enemies. Using basic information, he needed to make her feel ostracized. And if her lack of sword polishing was anything to go by, he had succeeded.

"From what I've heard, there are only twenty-four applicants accepted each year. But upwards of one hundred participants in the initiation."

Show her how much the odds are against her. Make the weight of it crush her.

"I'm personally of the mind that some are more deserving than others," he told her, shifting his eyes to the few faunus student hopefuls. "I believe that you are one of those that deserve the opportunity. Perhaps we could unite for the upcoming test?"

After giving despair, it was then one offers hope and salvation.

"There are a lot of brats looking to get in, so taking them out is obvious."

Before he knew what happened, Nero was facing down Raven's crimson blade.

"Especially weasels like you."

_Damn bitch!_

The teen fought the sour mood from reaching his face, keeping the gentleman's grin firmly in place.

"I see. I suppose I have stepped out of bounds. Please, forgive my rude remarks."

And with that, he walked away. He had offered an alliance, and she had spat in his face. If she failed, then that would be on her. Only the elite truly belonged.

The rest would be brought to heel

* * *

As he walked through Beacon's courtyard, dressed in a white collared shirt and black dress pants, tossing a crystal in the air, the sun gleaming off its bright red surface as it came back down into his palm, the young Roman Torchwick couldn't help but think of how lucky he could be.

What were the chances that he, a soon to be Beacon student, would just happen across some unowned dust lying out in the open? Others may argue that the half ripped off name tags on the vials that lined his pockets meant they had, in fact, been owned by someone. But really, what did they know? Possession was nine-tenths of the law, or so he had been told.

Being Roman was the other tenth.

His steps fell in line with his light-hearted whistling and the spinning of his cane, as the ginger's uncovered eye traced over the area. The twins he had been on the airship with kept to themselves. The sister's '_get close and I'll stab you'_ eyes doing wonders for her brother's luck with some of the other ladies on campus. A little ways away a blond had his arms full with two young women who were hanging onto whatever he had been saying. Going by that shit-eating grin and how animated he was with the conversation, Roman thought the bastard may just be talking out his ass. He could respect that.

The ginger continued to observe his new... Friends? Companions? Suckers? Definitely one of those. And then he found someone he hadn't seen in a long time. Laying on a bench, green hair hanging down and face buried in a book, was an old friend from his childhood. Roman grinned to himself at the memory of the only person he ever counted on.

Dear old dad had a bit too much to drink and decided the only good empty bottle was a broken one? Camp out at Ooblecks! His lovely mom, and truly what wonderful woman, wasted away all their money on gambling addiction? Bart's mom made great sandwiches.

"Barty!" He called, placing the burn dust crystal in his breast pocket while walking over to the prone figure. There was a slight movement from the other teen, pulling his reading material back just enough to get a glimpse of thick glasses. Was he happy to see him? Was he surprised? Maybe Bart was just tired. Only the glasses knew.

The book closed shut, "Roman," Oobleck greeted, not bothering to get up. "It's been a while."

"Too long. How've you been? How're the folks?"

"Fine," was the response. Short, sweet, and to the point. "I didn't think I'd see you here. Didn't you move to Mistral?"

"I did, I did," the ginger answered. "Pops ran from the cops, mom ran from her debts, and I got a free trip to another continent. Good times."

Roman's whimsical words hung in the air, until the green-haired teen sat up, "And?"

"Oh, right," Roman's cane came down on the concrete. "What can I say? Vale's police and underground can't hold a candle to the clans over there. Folks ran out of luck, and I ran back here."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hmm?"

"For your loss," he replied.

Roman pushed back his hair, both his eyes taking on a defeated look, "Thanks, man. It's been rough. Real rough. But hey, at least I got something to remember them by," he held out the object in his right hand. "The old man's favorite beating stick. Turns out, he didn't like getting swung at as much as he liked swinging. How odd."

The other teen could only sigh, "Why are you here, at Beacon?"

The ginger grasped at his heart, looking hurt, "Buddy, it's me. Fighting Grimm and protecting people has always been a dream of mine."

His friend threw him a dry look, "Since when?"

"Since that one time."

"How did you even get in? Do you have any training?"

"Of course I have training," Roman answered. "As for how I got in? Would you believe me if I said the headmaster himself recruited me? Two years early no less."

"No," was the instant reply. "And you're seventeen."

"Shhh," Roman held a finger to his friend. "I'm the one writing this origin story."

From his overly full pockets, a vial of dust crashed down, rolling to Bartholomew's foot. Reaching down, he picked up the container, reading the label, "Nero?"

"A new name I picked up in Mistral," the ginger told him. "Called me Neo Roman or Nero for short."

"I'm sure. Is that why there's a partial _O _still on there?"

"_O _for one, because I'm number one."

"You can't be stealing from other students, Roman."

"It's not stealing, it's liberating. That poor dust was so neglected, I just had to do something," Torchwick snatched the vial from the other teen's hand. "And apparently I can."

Before he could be refuted, the clash of metal rang throughout the courtyard. The two young men looked over to see a red-edged blade swung down, caught by two batons. The angry twin looking down at a grinning girl in a white cloak.

The brother could only shake his head, "Raven, stop. It was an accident."

The feathery-haired teen, Raven, tsked, "And her drawing her weapons?"

"Because you drew your's first!" A tanned teen yelled, fist balled and ready to step in to aid her friend.

The event continued to unfold, for whatever reason, Roman didn't know, but he could admit to being entertained. Bart, however, was less so. Choosing to ignore the surroundings, the green-haired young man laid back on the bench, book opened and once again pressed into his face.

And in the few seconds it took for him to do that was enough for Roman to look at the conflict in surprise. From nowhere, he came. A white cloak with orange flames on the edges, a mess of blonde hair crouched in the center of the two figures that had been fighting. Both had been pushed back, their weapons clashing not with steel but-

Roman rubbed his eyes. Were those tails? Yes, they were. Two tails with sun-kissed yellow fur and snow-white tips resisted the force from the young women, one struggling more than the other. Seven more waved wildly behind the new figure.

"What in the world?"

* * *

**Ah, the possibilities for a Roman x Summer pairing. The charismatic thief attracted to the huntress with a heart of gold. And Neo as a psycho older sister for Ruby. She has One Thing, and you won't be taking it from her. Ideas for another time.**

**Anyways, Roman in Beacon was actually inspired by Coeur Al'Aran's lore of Roman having been a Huntsman and partnered with Oobleck in his youth. Will this make him older than canon Roman, despite never knowing his actual age? Probably.**

**Next Chapter: March 5th**

**Until next time.**


	7. A Fox's Introduction

**I saw some reviews about pairings, preferred and what they'd like to see instead of what I have. I feel like I should touch on this a bit. Now, the pairings I have aren't really about what I like the most. At the start of the original, Sasuke's pairing was between Kali or Willow. The deciding factor, as it was for the characters I used for this story (I actually don't like Naruto as a character, and I'm neutral to Sasuke), is what fits with what I have planned for the plot. Instead of writing a story around a pairing, I want to write pairings that fit in with the story. So, yea. For those of you wanting to see certain pairings, I'm sorry, but it probably won't happen here.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 7 - A Fox's Introduction**

* * *

The day had come. The day he had been dreading since a certain blond had decided he was going to take up resident in the headmaster's academy.

It was arrival day.

From the window in his office, Ozpin watched as airships came in to land, young adults of various ages departing from them. Some would be making their way to classmates they had grown used to, separating into certain cliques. Others, the newer students, would be gathering in the courtyard, quite possibly star struck at being at such a prestigious school. Unfortunately, that's as far as some of them would go. But it was for the best. Better for them to fail here and have to leave, than for them to fail in the field and be gone forever.

And while the headmaster knew he had to make his way to the amphitheater, he first had to deal with the Goliath in the room. Or giant, cataclysmic nine-tailed fox, as it were.

"Though initially against the idea, I have been convinced to give you a chance here."

Ozpin lifted his mug to his lips, the hot, brown liquid pouring into his mouth as he gave the dimension traveler a chance to speak. He was met with only silence. Good, that meant the young man was listening.

"As we have discussed, I do not trust you. I believe after certain events, that should be expected."

It wasn't even the Emergence Incident that had kept his distrust. While far from forgetting the event, with some prodding from Ozma and his own encounters with the young man, he had slowly begun to see Naruto in a different light. The blond truly did have a kind heart. Through the weeks he had spent here, he was quick to help anyone he could.

Aiding the librarian, Erin, with dusting and cleaning. Assisting Ann in planning her lessons on stealth, which Ozpin had wondered how good of an idea that was. And not because of letting the resident ninja know of their capabilities, but that his ability far surpassed trained Huntsman. If anything, the students would come out better than their predecessors... Hopefully...

Bruno had even requested the young man go with him for a week trip outside the walls to Mountain Glenn, one of Vale's crowning achievements in a time where most settlements tend to disappear.

In a relatively short time, Naruto Uzumaki had made a place for himself. But that also revealed some of his faults.

Midnight strolls to the kitchens, getting into cupboards that were supposed to be locked with very little effort. Destroying Peach's office door when he had been sent for a medical check-up and the woman had pulled out a syringe. Vienna turning on her shower just for it to start raining confetti and glitter. The statue in front of the amphitheater painted a bright shade of orange. And Peter... Poor poor Peter.

Ozpin didn't know where or how Naruto had found a Beowolf who's face was a mirror image of his friend's, but he had never seen the man so excited, disturbed, and conflicted before.

He took another drink of coffee to hide the twitch of his lips at the memory.

No, for all that Naruto was a well-adjusted teenager, he could at the same time be a menace. And with the students arriving, Ozpin wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"We agreed that while you remain here, that you would follow my rules. One of which, is no pranking the students."

It felt odd to have to say that aloud. For someone that holds so much power and firm resolution to have a tendency for such mischief, he had never expected it. Even for the week Naruto and Sasuke had both been there, the blond's trickster antics were very light. Apparently, that was just a prelude of what was to come.

"Second. While I have no say in how you use whatever abilities you possess, I would ask you to limit yourself among the student body."

If he could place restrictions on the young man, he would. While it was odd enough to hear about physical copies of the same person wandering around in the dozens, it was another thing to see it. Their combat instructor, Redd, had wanted to know the skills of someone taking up space in Beacon Academy. Naruto had agreed, thinking it would be good for training, but Ozpin had been unsure of who among them would even come close to a challenge for the teen. Especially after seeing the devastation brought on the Emerald Forest when the whiskered blond had been training by himself.

The decision was swiftly taken out of his hands when, in a poof of smoke, there were enough Narutos to fill not only the arena but the stands. All the Professors had gathered, hoping to gain some insight into his capabilities, since only Ozpin himself knew the hidden power the blond possessed. It was all for naught, as when they began fighting, everything was a blur. The combat only stopped when one of the whiskered teens had exploded in smoke and another stepped forward for the one-on-one fights.

After all the clones were gone, they were stunned to find that the original hadn't even partaken in the fights, watching from the stands with his hands behind his head. If Ozpin remembered correctly, Redd had said something about putting his foot up a certain blond's-

"Third," he continued, cutting off the memory. "I would ask-"

There was a knock on the door. Ozpin sighed, before calling the person in.

"Ozpin," a woman voice said, "I heard you from outside. Who are you talking to?"

He turned around to face Vienna Ardenna, current Grimm Studies, and Military Strategy Professor as well as Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy. A few decades older than the headmaster, with the dignity of a veteran huntress. Her graying forest green hair, put up in a bun, and the wrinkles adorning the woman's face contrasted with the young willfulness in her blue-green eyes. Her slight aged caucasian skin covered by a black, business suit.

"I am speaking too-"

Ozpin looked down, the stool he had for the tailed teen's comfort, vacated.

"Where did he go?"

"**He left before you started talking. Didn't you hear the window open?"**

_But with how high up we are, how would he get down?_

"**Jumping is the most likely. Have you forgotten who you were speaking with?"**

..._Damn it_...

* * *

Raven had not had the best couple of days. Her and Qrow having to make their way from the Branwen camp to the nearest airship for Beacon Academy while the rain seemed to never let up. Boarding with children playing at being warriors who couldn't keep their mouths shut long enough to form a coherent thought. One of those idiots, dressed in clothes suited more for a high-class get together than for combat, trying to talk her up. Then a little girl with no spatial awareness colliding with the bandit.

Her nerves on end, Raven felt she was completely justified when she unsheathed Omen to remove the pest. Unfortunately, the girl had a sliver of skill as she quickly pulled out her own weapons to deflect the bandit's blow. The ravenette thought for a moment that her brother's semblance was going out of its way to piss her off, but shook off that line of thinking. Only the weak blame others for their own problems.

Now if only this idiot would stop smiling!

"Raven, stop," Qrow said. "It was an accident."

Raven tsked, "And her drawing her weapons?"

"Because you drew your's first!"

Oh, right. The pipsqueak had a friend. It didn't matter, Qrow would step in if the other nobody tried something. If he'd stop trying to talk her down, that was. He knew as well as she did, the confrontation had only two ways of ending. Submission or death. The silver-eyed girl in front of her wasn't about to just surrender and had openly opposed her. First by running into her, and second by not taking her punishment.

She would be put in her place.

Suddenly, Raven found herself pushed away from the cloaked girl, a new weight placed on her blade. Her mind trying to process what her crimson eyes were seeing. Crouched between them, a blond teen around her age held back her weapon with only his tail. The bandit had cut through many things in her relatively short life. Animals during a hunt, villagers during a raid, and tribesman during practice.

So why she asked herself as he put more force into her weapon, could she not cut through some furry limb?!

Aura never flared as the figure rose from his crouch, the orange-flame trimmed white cloak concealing the rest of his attire, Raven found herself even more angered at how effortlessly he was fending her off.

"Enough of that," he said as if chastising small children. "There'll be plenty of time to fight each other later."

Raven grit her teeth as she pulled back. This wasn't some brat needed to be put in their place. This was the reason she and Qrow had come here. The thing they were to learn to hunt. A Huntsman.

As she sheathed her blade, the ravenette had to take a moment to process what she saw. The tail that had held her back was only one of nine. Each waving wildly and ready to strike. It was an odd thing to see. She may not have known many faunus, but she was fairly sure that they did not have multiple appendages. And as her blood-dyed eyes took in his face, orbs of sapphire with whisker-like marks on his cheeks, the extra set of ears sat atop of his head just added to her confusion.

Some kind of kingdom experiment? Vale may not be the same as Mistral and Atlas, who openly opposed the faunus from residing outside of Menagerie, but only a fool would believe that there wasn't a darker side. Maybe instead of secluding them, those up top wanted a special kind of weapon.

Raven turned her back on the group, the sound of complaints falling on deaf ears. Action spoke louder than words, and those that could only moan and whine were destined to fail.

And whatever freak of nature the kingdoms were creating too would fall.

* * *

As he watched the red-eyed girl walk away, Naruto was stuck listening to the brunette on his other side shout a string of insults to her back. While he had started to get used to his more sensitive hearing, having someone yelling next to him made the blond grimace.

"Gretchen, calm down," the shorter girl said, her batons shifting into the form of handguns. "She's already gone."

The now named Gretchen turned to the cloaked girl holstering her weapons, "Calm down? Calm down! That crazy bitch tried to cut you for running into her back!"

"But she didn't. Besides, mom always said some of the best friends a person will ever have is one that they cross blades with."

"In training, not because some psycho wanted to repaint her sword."

Naruto spoke up, "No, she's right. My best friend tried to kill me a few times. I think the first try was when he stabbed his hand through my chest."

Silver and hazel orbs focused on him, wide-eyed. What? The shorter girl's mom even said that some friends would try to kill you. He was just confirming it.

"What are you?"

The cloaked girl gasped, "Gretchen! You can't say that!"

"I wasn't talking about his ears!" she shouted, though her eyes went from the top of his head to behind his cloak, "Or tails... Okay, now I am. What are you?"

"Gretchen!"

"It's an honest question!"

"I'm so sorry," the cloaked girl apologized to him. "She doesn't mean anything by it. She just talks without thinking sometimes. At least, I think she does. I only met her a few hours ago, but we became really good friends, even though she ran into me. She's really sturdy by the way. Lots of muscles. My name's Summer by the way."

The blond turned to the brunette, "Is she always like this?"

She had a hand on her forehead, "From what little I know, no. I think it's a nervous tick or something. That and grinning like a loon when being assaulted."

Summer turned to Gretchen, "I was not grinning like a loon!"

"A wide smile while being attacked is the traits of someone not sane."

"I was just happy to be meeting new people and weapons. And I probably made another friend!"

"Bird bitch? You can not be serious."

Summer looked to where Raven had left, "Oh, we're going to be best friends."

Gretchen looked to him, a pleading look. Did she already forget what he said?

He shrugged, "I only almost died. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"You're insane," she wept. "You're all insane. I didn't come to an Academy for Hunters, I came to a lunatic asylum."

The cloaked girl held out her right hand, ignoring her friend's breakdown, "Anyways. Like I said, my name's Summer Rose."

"Naruto," he told her, reaching out one of his tails. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto," she shook his tail. "Not to be rude, but why do you have so many tails? I mean, I haven't met many faunus, but they never had multiple tails. Only one. Or ears. But you have those too. There was this one time I met a lizard faunus who had scales on her arms and legs -"

A tanned hand covered her mouth as the brunette girl made her way into the conversation, "Basically, what are you?"

Summer sent her silencer a glare as Naruto gave his practiced answer, "You can tell by the ears. I'm a fox faunus."

"And the tails?"

"Semblance," was his rehearsed answer. "The older I got, the more tails I grew. Each one gave me a boost in power, speed, and some other cool abilities."

"Yea, no," Gretchen said, eyebrow raised. "A semblance doesn't work like that."

"It doesn't?"

She shook her head, "I've never heard of anything like it. Semblances can be active or passive, but the active abilities are temporary and the passive ones don't change a person's physical features. At least, not by growing nine tails out your backside. So, really, what is up with that?"

"I just told you. It's my semblance."

"And I just explained how that's impossible."

"Can you prove it?"

"I can punch you."

Naruto grinned, "So we'll be great friends."

Gretchen's eye twitched. A moment passed, and instead of continuing their conversation, the hand she had used to cover Summer's mouth moved, the arm wrapped around the smaller girl's throat as she dragged Summer away from the whiskered-teen.

Going with the flow, Summer waved, "See you later, Naruto."

Naruto waved back at their departing figures. He turned to the sound of clapping from behind him. Walking towards the whiskered teen was a boy his age, blond hair lighter than his own, and blue eyes. The guy's brown vest clinging to his tan leather shirt that matched his brown pants.

"Impressive," he said. "Coming out of nowhere to stop a fight while making it look easy. Inserting yourself into a conversation between friends. And having a cutie remember you as she gets dragged away. I like you already."

"Um," the whiskered teen looked at him in confusion. "Thanks? Who are you?"

The other teen blinked, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Ah. In that case," he took a stance. "From each corner of Vale, I am known far and wide! The seeker of the world's greatest treasure! Aid to those who desire the promised land! Enemy to those that seek to tarnish it!"

The blonde threw his right arm in the air, "The Dragon of Romance!"

He curved his left arm, placing his fist on his side, "The Guru of Passion!"

The teen brought his right arm down, having the fingers in his fist facing him, as he held his arm in an 'L' shape in front of him, "I am Taiyang Xiao Long, ladies man extraordinaire!"

Behind Taiyang, two ladies their age, one dressed in a pale yellow top and jean skirt, the other in a blue and white outfit that matched Summer's, giggled at Taiyang's introduction. Naruto watched, the other blond's antics reminding him of a certain pervy sage.

Coming out of his pose, he held out a hand for Naruto to take. "Call me Tai. Good to meet ya, Naruto."

Doing as he did with Summer, Naruto extended one of his tails out to Tai.

The other blonde laughed, "Nothing against the tail, but most people shake hands."

Naruto pulled back his cloak, revealing the stub that was his right arm, "Can we switch it to left hands?"

Taiyang stiffened, "Oh damn, man. Sorry, I didn't know-"

Letting his cloak fall back over him, Naruto joked, "Well, yea. I don't think you can see underneath clothes."

Tai laughed with him, "You're right about that. Though, if I could..."

Naruto pulled his cloak closer to his person as his tails wrapped around him, "I'm not like that."

"I wasn't talking about you!"

The two looked at each other, their short silence giving way to another round of laughter.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did, you know-"

"Lose my arm?" Tai nodded. "Fight with a friend. His semblance clashed with mine, and we both lost an arm."

"But I overheard you talking to that Gretchen girl," he told Naruto. "Didn't you say your semblance was your tails?"

"Yep."

"Than how -" he stopped himself, shaking his head. "You know what, nevermind. That road leads to madness."

"Tai, we need to go!" one of the girls called.

"Be right there!" He turned back to the whiskered teen. "Wanna come with us to the opening speech? Jasmine and Jaylin are good girls. They won't care about your tails or ears."

Naruto looked back at them for the third time, and just as Tai had said, the girl in blue was waving at him as the one in jasmine signaled Tai to hurry up.

Before Naruto gave his answer, Taiyang had already placed an arm around his shoulder, leading him to Jasmine and Jaylin, "We might even see that Summer girl in the crowd."

"I just met her."

"And I just met them an hour or so ago. What's your point?"

* * *

"What was that?"

"What are you talking about?"

The evening had turned to night as the student hopefuls had settled into their nightwear, claiming space on the ballroom floor as their bed. Qrow and Raven had settled a bit away from the group, finally able to get time to themselves after having had to play nice with the others their age for a while. Some had tried to come over and make conversation with the duo out of friendliness. Others, guys mostly, came to introduce themselves to his sister.

The former he had been sociable with, aware that the professors keeping an eye on the new blood would expect everyone to get along to a certain extent. The latter group? Raven could handle herself, especially since she had opted against leaving her weapon in her locker, but she was still his sister. Some things a brother just couldn't let go.

Said sister drawing unneeded attention to herself also happened to be one of those things, unfortunately.

"Trying to stab the girl in white."

"It was more slashing than stabbing."

"You know what I mean, Raven," she always had to make things difficult. "Injuring someone as soon as we get here could paint a target on your back. Think about your mission."

"Our mission," her eyes met his. "It's our mission, Qrow. Not just mine."

He only sighed, "You know why I'm here, Ray."

"The same reason as me."

"They want rid of me."

She snorted, "They're welcome to try."

Qrow shook his head, "That's not the point right now."

"You had one?"

"Yea. Don't do something stupid."

"She came at me," Raven stated. "I was defending myself."

"Against an over-excited girl who wasn't watching where she was going?"

"This is a school for Hunters. Any of them could be dangerous."

At the center of the room, two young men stood, each with one side of a blanket. Pulling it back and forth, the duo wasn't prepared for another guy to come between them and push down on the middle of the material, pulling them closer and forcing them to headbutt.

Qrow turned back to his sister, "Yea, Ray. Real dangerous. I'll be sure to sleep with one eye open."

"What about that tailed freak?"

"An exception," Qrow told her. "We can't just attack other students, Raven. We need to stay here without the professors breathing down our backs. Or worse, the headmaster."

"Fine," she complied. She was on her feet, sword in hand, as she made her way to the doors.

"Where are you going?"

"To train," Raven told him.

He watched as she was stopped by a man with a bushy dark-brown mustache. Their conversation was short, and as he laughed, patting his sister on the back, Qrow was half expecting he'd have to jump in to stop Raven from cutting the man's arm off. Maybe what he said had got through as she left without doing anything.

Sitting on the windowsill, his legs bent to fit, Qrow looked over the group in the ballroom. While it was true the tailed guy was an exception, he could still be a problem. He and Raven weren't school kids. They were bandits. Warriors trained in the harshness of the world. Even before coming here, they were expected to be aware of their surrounding, prepared for anything.

He had shown up from nowhere. Qrow hadn't seen him coming. Didn't feel his presence until the blond was already there. That was no school kid either. That guy was something far above the rest. Even above him and his sister. And as the ravenette's gaze searched the ballroom, he could admit to being worried at not seeing the blond amongst the crowd.

* * *

**And that's it for this one. Decided instead of Raven thinking Naruto was just an idiot with a strong semblance, that she and Qrow would both be wary of him. Though, she still thinks she can beat him after a while. We get into Initiation the next chapter.**

**Also, I don't know who all still reads over the original version of this story, though I have had people say they prefer the original and/or not to delete it so it could be reread. To those of you who do, I thought I should let you know that once I reach the end of Naruto's part and get to what Sasuke has been up to (around chapter 10 or 11 according to my notes) then I will be deleting that version and taking the 'Redux' off of this title. If there is anyone that may want to download it, I suggest doing so between now and the next few releases.**

**Next Chapter: March 12th**

**Until next time.**


	8. Initiation Begins

**To the bi-weekly update guest; No, updates will not be every other week. I'm not going to say there won't be times where I'll have to push the date back due to certain reasons, but the plan is still to get these out once a week. **

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 8 - Initiation Begins**

* * *

Hot water rained down from the showerhead onto fair skin and platinum blonde locks. The sweat and fatigue from early morning training being washed away. Glynda Goodwitch gave a content sigh. The day she had been waiting for was finally here. The day she would join Beacon and officially begin her path to becoming a Huntress.

She held no illusions of it being a simple task. Though called Initiation, the coming test was as much testing the initiates as it was weeding out those who wouldn't make the cut. While she was sure there were plenty of student hopefuls just like her, raised outside the Kingdoms, most of those she would be competing against for a spot at this prestigious academy had the benefits of going to primary combat schools such as Signal and Pharos Academy.

Most would consider the odds stacked against them, but Glynda knew better than that. Sure, a lot of her competition had access to those facilities and specialized teachers, but she more than made up for that with determination and effort. Choosing instead of playing with other children her age at the orphanage, she had chosen to study and train. Molding her mind and once fragile body into the toned temple of a warrior.

She had sacrificed her childhood for this dream. All for the chance of becoming something more than the scared little girl she had been _that _day. She would become a huntress unlike any other. A huntress that would protect the small villages others paid no mind to. Someone that would stand against the Grimm that preyed on and ripped apart families like her own. And she'd be damned if some spoiled, entitled brats-!

The shower cut off as Glynda took in a deep breath, clearing her mind of those thoughts. She needed to remain calm and focused. They may have been more fortunate than herself, but she should not assume that any of the other possible first years would be like _them_, and they deserved to be here just as much as she did.

The young woman's mind flashed back to the day before. A small, white-cloaked girl and tanned brunette jumping recklessly onto an airship that was taking off. Giving little-to-no thought to their own safety, the safety of anyone that may have been close to the doorway when they landed, or the deadline for when they were to leave.

So... Most deserved to be here.

With a towel wrapped around her, Glynda stepped out of the shower. The warmth she had lost to the cool air in the women's changing room. The area was mostly empty as it was still early morning as the sun only starting to rise as she had finished her morning routine. Though, knowing the oddity of her schedule, Glynda was pleased to see a few others there as well, including the ebony-haired woman the blonde remembered seeing in the ballroom the night prior. Glynda had overheard her fellow initiate, weapon on her person, tell the teacher she was going to train, and if her appearance was anything to go by, freshly showered with her sword leaning close by, the ravenette had been training this morning as well.

While Glynda didn't approve of the other woman's lack of modesty, having chosen not to cover herself and instead chose to wander around in the nude, even if it was the women's changing room, the blonde could respect the other young woman's drive.

Her thoughts were cut off as someone behind her reach around her head, fingers felt at the edges of Glynda's lips, stretching them out and up.

"Why such a serious look? Smile a little!"

Glynda jumped forward, barely holding on to her towel as she spun around, coming face-to-face with the one who had invaded her personal space. Slightly taller than herself, the other woman had short yellow hair that faded black near the ends. A yellow tank-top with a black sun at the center covering a chest smaller than her own, with onyx jagging pants and stripes that match her shirt. The other woman's golden eyes dancing with amusement as the offending hands were held out, palms facing Glynda.

"Jumpy, aren't ya? Mind putting bench down? I come in peace, I swear."

The serious teen looked behind her to see a bench levitating behind her, a purple outline around it the tell-tale signs of her subconsciously activating her semblance. And while few, several sets of eyes had gathered on her. Even the red-eyed first-year hopeful had stopped dressing, an eyebrow raised at Glynda's loss of control over her own ability.

The seating dropped to the ground with a thud, Glynda's face flushed by embarrassment. What did she do now? The one in front of her had caught her off guard and disrespected her boundaries, but the platinum blonde had made a fool of herself in front of what could be classmates and seniors. Did she tell the other woman off? Did she say nothing, walk away, and hope this incident blew over?

Before she had decided her course of action, a male's voice sounded from outside the room.

"Sol? What did you do this time?!"

"Why do you always blame me?" the woman in front of her yelled back.

"Because it's always you!"

Sol rolled her eyes, speaking just loud enough to be heard by Glynda, "You can't prove that."

"You remind me of my partner when I first met him," she told the younger woman as she walked by. "Put on a good show, new blood. I'll be rooting for ya."

As Sol left, first name or nickname, Glynda didn't know, noisily joining the guy she affectionately called Lucy in the locker room, her parting words left the lighter blonde in confusion.

_A good show?_

* * *

Sleep was supposed to be peaceful. A beautiful time where all worries ceased to exist. So why was it, as Summer laid in her spot on the dance hall floor, that her sweet slumber was anything but peaceful? Could it be because of a bad dream? Nope. She rarely dreamed, and when she did, they were usually very pleasant. Was it due to where she had slept? Once again, no. She had grown accustomed to sleeping on the ground during her and her mother's training trips. To the point that she preferred the floor over her bed at home.

Did it have something to do with the teenage girl with an iron grip using her as a stuffed animal? That was a definite yes.

The first thing to enter the silver-eyed girl's sight as rays of light from the morning sun shined through the windows of their sleeping area was Gretchen's face next to her own. Bedhead had attacked Summer's friend during the night, the mess of brown hair sticking out in several directions as drool leaked from her lips.

_Nope. Nope nope nope._

Summer could stand a lot of things. Being cuddled to death was actually on her top five best ways to die. But risking someone else's saliva getting anywhere near her face called for an emergency escape.

As gently as possible, she attempted to pry the offender's arms from around her. The would-be breakout from her limbed prison had not gone unnoticed by the snoring young woman, as Gretchen tightened her grip on the victim. What should have been an easy escape soon became a one-way wrestling match, the paler girl doing her best to get out of the grapple from her slumbering captor.

With a loud snore, Gretchen moved her arms, uncomfortable from her captive's struggle.

_Chance!_

Without a moment to lose, Summer rolled away from the clingy teen. Once she felt she was a safe distance away from her friend's grasp, she stood up, smoothing out her red nightshirt, a silver rose embroidered on the front. Where she was resting, Gretchen continued to sleep peacefully, the girl's violet t-shirt revealing her navel, and the left leg of her white pajama bottoms pulled up to her knee. In her arms was Summer's pillow.

She could only sigh, telling herself to remember to wash it at the first chance she got.

Taking her gaze away from the scene before her, Summer looked around the ballroom. While many continued to sleep, others too were just waking up, and it appeared that quite a few had been awake for a while. She looked to the window where she remembered the girl from yesterday, Raven if she remembered the guy right, had slept. She had wanted to go say hi, and try to make amends for what had happened earlier that day, but Gretchen had been strongly against. That might explain why the tanned girl had been holding onto her. Even now, with no one to stop her, she had missed her chance, as both Raven and the guy she was with were gone, as well as all their stuff.

Summer sighed. Raven was gone, Gretchen was asleep, and she had never even seen Naruto come to the ballroom with the rest of them last night. The more she thought about it, she couldn't remember seeing him after their first encounter. Was he already a student? An upperclassman that had stepped in to stop the fight of his juniors? Keeping the peace on the school grounds and making sure everyone got along? That would be so cool!

But standing there wasn't going to get anything done, and without anyone awake she already knew, the best thing to do would to go to the showers and get prepared for the day. Gathering up a change of clothes and her toiletries, Summer made it to the door before it opened itself. Revealing blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bare tanned chest.

"Oh, hey," the owner of those features said. "Summer right?"

The silver-eyed girl nodded, "Yep, that's me. Um-"

"Taiyang," he introduced himself. "Sorry. I was in the background when you introduced yourself to my pal Naruto. Summer's my favorite season, so it was an easy name to remember."

"Uh... Thanks?" She guessed that was the appropriate response. At least he hadn't called her a maiden from that fairytale. She heard that enough from villages she had visited before.

...Wait.

"You're friends with Naruto?"

"Yea," he answered. "Great buds. Known him since yesterday."

Summer gave a small, awkward laugh, "Have you seen him? I don't remember seeing him in here last night."

Taiyang tilted his head, "Now that you mention it, I don't either. The last I saw him was at dinner."

"Maybe he's in one of the years above what ours will be?"

"Nah," he waved off the possibility. "We talked a bit. Turns out he just turned seventeen a few weeks ago. He should be the same as us."

If he was also just entering Beacon, then where was he?

* * *

"Where is he?"

Vienna asked again. She, Ozpin, and Peter had gathered at the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest. Naruto had promised to be there as well, but he had yet shown up. And the Deputy Headmistress was not pleased.

"I'm sure it will be fine," the Headmaster assured her.

The older woman tapped her foot impatiently. Naruto Uzumaki. That was the name of the boy that made Beacon his home. She had searched in her free time but had found no history of him prior to being found near the ruins of Greenside Village. No birth records. No former residence. No achievements or records of any kind. So why was her boss so adamant of keeping the boy close?

The only thing she had heard was how he had grown animal appendages from her assistant, and how the other teachers praised his combat ability. An ability she had not been able to witness herself due to cleaning up after the boy's _little prank_ as Ozpin had called it.

Replacing his coffee with non-caffeinated tea told the Headmaster just what she had thought about that.

"I don't like this," Peter said, eyes roaming the forest. "You don't want him on a team, yet you're still willing to leave him alone in there with our new students."

"I don't want him on a team because it would harm their education," Ozpin told her assistant. "Mister Uzumaki, despite his age, would surpass anyone in the same team as himself. And, in turn, they would become reliant on his strength instead of improving themselves."

"Then why not an upper-year team?" Vienna questioned. "While few, there are teams missing a member. Could the young Uzumaki not fill one of those spots?"

The Headmaster took a sip from his mug, "He could, but that comes with its own difficulties."

"He shouldn't be here."

That was another concern. Peter had been avoiding the newcomer for weeks now. Even when Naruto Uzumaki had become close with most of the other professors in Beacon, Port had made sure to keep his distance. The only exception when the assistant-teacher had confronted the boy about the odd Grimm wearing the man's face that went up in a cloud of smoke when he had finally managed to land a hit on it. The blonde had never answered, only gave an irritating foxy grin he always gave when one of his tricks got them.

Vienna had heard from him. What he had felt that night the boy had gained his tails and ears. But Thumbelina had been there too, and she interacted with Naruto as usual. Had she not been affected? Was it all in Peter's head?

"Your concern is noted, my friend," Ozpin told Peter, "But I promise, you have nothing to fear from Mister Uzumaki."

"You weren't there, Oz! You don't know-"

"I know. I know all too well, Peter. Trust me on that."

Well, that wasn't ominous. And he wasn't about to elaborate on that either. Perfect.

The timer on her scroll rang, signaling the beginning of Initiation. Those who weren't already there were automatically failed, while the others were to be tested.

The headmaster cleared his throat, "Now that everyone has gathered, I shall explain what is coming next."

Most were silenced by the man's voice. The only exception, a girl in a white cloak enthusiastically speaking to a tanned teen in thin black, white-veined armor. Summer Rose, if Vienna remembered correctly, appeared to be fawning over the gauntlets and greaves, asking questions that related to the other's semblance.

"You there, be silent!"

With a squeak, and barely made out "Sorry!" the two teens faced the Emerald Forest. For some reason, all the other teens also appeared more focused on what was going on in front of them.

"Now, some of you may have heard rumors of teams. Those rumors are true."

There was a mix of silent exchanges between those who were standing next to their intended partner, while the more excited of the bunch began to whisper to each other. From the corner of her eye, the older woman could see a small grin spread across the headmaster's face in amusement.

"Under your feet are launch pads that will hurl you into the forest below. Once on the ground, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the remainder of your time at Beacon."

"You're joking..."

"What kind of psycho launches people into a forest?!"

"But we were going to be the best team ever!"

Vienna's could feel her eye twitch.

"Control yourselves! You are huntsmen and huntresses in training. Act like it!"

"Thank you, Professor Ardena."

Some of the now quiet children gave her a side glance, probably attempting to commit her name to memory.

"Continuing. After you have a partner, both of you are to find the abandoned temple somewhere inside in the forest, collect a relic, and return here. You have until sundown to complete the task. Are there any questions?"

Before the young man closest to them could say anything, he was flying through the sky. One by one each of the pads released. Near the end, the white-cloaked young woman had her hand raised, jumping up and down hoping to get noticed.

"Yes, Miss Rose?"

"What about the fox faunus with all those tails?"

Of course. He had already made friends with some of the student hopefuls. It was like the boy had his own gravitational pull.

"He appears to be running late."

And with that, she was gone.

As the students soared through the air, some laughing in excitement while others screamed at their situation, Vienna heard a whistle from beside her.

_When did he appear?!_

Beside her stood Naruto Uzumaki, hand above his eyes as he watched the skyward hopefuls begin their descent.

"Nice of you to join us," Ozpin said, acting as if the boy showing up from nowhere was commonplace. "You remember your promise?"

The whiskered teen stretched, "Yea, yea. I remember. Don't worry about a thing."

Vienna's eyes widened. She had not taken her sight away from the boy. Had not even blinked. But he was gone, leaving behind falling leaves.

* * *

Damn it. Why was he the first one to be launched?! As Qrow soared through the sky, he couldn't help but curse his luck. He didn't even have an idea of how he was supposed to land! The Branwen could hear his twin's voice, telling him to quit whining and figure it out.

As he began his descent, the dark-haired teen pulled out his weapon, morphing it into its scythe form. Sure, it would no doubt cut through a couple of tree branches instead of catching him, doing exactly that as he thought it, but eventually, it would kill his momentum. Hopefully.

The first few were cut cleanly through. The next wave forced him to twist and turn his body, but Qrow could feel himself slowing. Turning his weapon horizontal, he caught a tree by the trunk, swinging him in a circle and allowing him to land on one of the limbs.

He stood upright, looking below him. Not a drop anyone without aura could handle, but easy enough for him.

With a thud, Qrow landed feet first, legs slightly bent. Straightening up and dusting himself off, the young Branwen took a moment to let the adrenaline from the surprise catapult wear off. He needed to stay calm. While the flying thing was unexpected, everything else was exactly as he overheard that morning.

They would have to go into the Emerald Forest, find some kind of item, and bring it back with partner in tow. The plan he and Raven had come up with was simple enough. While his sister would get rid of the competition, making sure to only target pairs, he would make his way through the forest, avoiding contact with other initiates, and find the temple. Then he'd send a flare-up, and Raven would make a portal to him.

As he began to walk, the sound of growling stopped his footsteps. He turned his head, from the corner of his eye he watched as a pack of Beowolves approached. They stalked towards him, snarling. Was it from their beast nature, or an attempt to induce fear into the rather bored bandit? Before anything could be born from their meeting, the top of half of the tree Qrow had landed on, fell, split off from the rest of the trunk. Beneath its mass, were the crushed wanna-be predators, their remains fading away.

Qrow laughed to himself, a small smirk gracing his lips. Bad luck charm he may be, but at least it was the Grimm, and not he, that had been effected. Hands in his pockets, the young man continued on his way. Grimm were dead. The twin's strategy simple and easily pulled off. As long as he made sure to stay alert and avoid any unwanted company, everything would work out just-

"Watch out!"

Qrow cursed as a girl screamed, her voice sounding very familiar and very close. Almost like it was right on top of him.

With a grunt of pain, Qrow was forced into the dirt, vision darkened by nature and the weight of another person on his back.

"But there was a tree there just a second ago," she seemed to speak to herself, sounding confused. "Where did it go?"

The male twin didn't bother to try to answer her, as he continued to lay where he was.

_Raven's going to kill me._

* * *

_I'm going to kill him._

This wasn't the first time Raven had thought that in the last few minutes. It had all began so well. Qrow had collected information about Initiation from older students. They made their plan, filled in blanks and smoothed out the rougher parts. Not everything could be accounted for considering all the moving pieces on the board, but all-in-all, she was content with it. So, how had it gone so wrong so fast?

"So, where you from?"

Raven was fine with blaming the blonde behind her. Her _partner_. She thought she had kept herself hidden. Constantly aware of her surroundings, traveling quickly through the underbrush. Even the Grimm hadn't caught her scent. So how in the Brothers had she been spotted by the loudest newbie to stumble into Initiation?

Yes, she knew of him. Unfortunately, he had been hard to miss last night, even after her late hour training routine, making himself the center of attention. Easily getting along with most people their age, especially the females. If he had been trying to gain supporters to cause some kind of revolt in the school or make up his own kind of tribe, maybe she could have respected him. But no, he was just a people person. A very loud, very annoying people person.

"The strong, silent type huh? A woman of mystery."

_The only mystery here is why I haven't stabbed you._

And how cathartic that would be. Just a turn and a thrust. Omen would be unsheathed before this Taiyang could even react. But they were being watched. The headmaster and his cameras. Probably the rest of Beacon was too if that older girl's words were any hint to what was going on. This was a show to them, and Raven did not enjoy being someone else's entertainment.

Oh, and there was another pest.

Unsheathing her sword, the claw that had suddenly revealed itself from the shadows was disconnected from its owner. Following soon as the rest of the Beowolf's upper body. A boring encounter. Maybe if a pack had been there, it would have been a more interesting fight, but one of them wandering on its own was hardly worth the effort.

Behind her, Raven heard the sound of another battle, turning just in time to Taiyang block the blow from a Beowolf while stepping out of the path from one charging towards him, and another three of the dark beasts coming up from behind him.

It wasn't that the one she had killed wandered away, but that the rest of the pack had been drawn in by her partner. Had he been giving off negativity, maybe because of her not answering to his calls? Or did his ability to attract others translate over gaining unwanted attention from things that wanted to kill him too?

Whatever the case may be, as Omen remain held in her right hand, Raven wasn't about to look a gift-Grimm in the mouth. Especially when she wanted something to cut. And the battle could even bring her actual targets to her.

Maybe this partnership wouldn't be so bad.

Tai flashed her what she was sure he thought was a charming smile as she entered the fight, "With the goddess of victory on my side, there's no way I can lose."

_Nope. Still killing him._

* * *

Lackadaisical whistling resounded through the forest, as Roman walked calmly through a path and spinning his cane. A few twigs and brush sticking out of his hair and slight limp signaling he hadn't made quite the landing as he had wanted. His clothes, one of the few sets he had, torn through in places. But hey, those were the risks from being launched several hundred feet in the air and trying to slow his fall from the hooked end of his - Weapon? Memento? Trophy? - Meh, whatever anyone wanted to call it, it didn't help all that much. As soon as he would latch onto a branch, it'd break under his weight and the pull of gravity.

So, here he was, wandering through the woods, slightly injured but all things considered, not the worst he's experienced. Even when he sidestepped the downward slash of a greatsword from behind him, Roman could honestly say that it was just another walk in the park. The very Grimm infested and not-so-kid friendly park.

A guy laughed behind him, "Not bad, rookie. How'd you hear me coming?"

"The same way I heard your friend," Roman answered, blocking two daggers with his cane, grinning at the girl's surprised expression. "With my ears."

As the girl jumped away from Roman, he turned to get a better look at his attackers. One a muscular guy wearing a wide brim hat in camo, his sleeveless tan vest left open to reveal his toned chest, and baggy jeans to compliment the look. The other a smaller girl, dressed head-to-toe in an eye numbing amount of pink. He was pretty sure there were laws against that. Fashion laws, but laws just the same.

The reply Roman received to his answer was another slash, horizontal this time. He brought up his own weapon, smacking not the blade, but the wielder's hand, knocking the attack off its course. In the same movement, he let the cane slide through his hand, holding the bottom end of it as he used the crook to grab the girl that had gotten behind him again.

Why was someone so bright trying to be sneaky? It just didn't work.

With a tug, his would-be attacker was pulled by her neck into her teammate as the guy hefted his sword back up. Even surprised, the collision had next to no effect, while the female opponent had been knocked on to her backside. As the guy made for another slash – did he know how to do anything else? - Roman twirled, using the spin to once again deflect the blow.

If Roman would call himself anything, it was a survivor, and no one survived by going head-to-head with someone stronger than them. That was just asking for pain. Instead, the emerald-eyed fighter hooked the bigger fighter's leg by the knee and pulled the limb out from underneath him. Already bent over, his assaulter fell face forward. His partner, who would have broken his fall, rolled away from him, leaving him to collide with one of the tree stumps on the forest floor.

He spared no minute waiting to see if the guy got up, having made his way over to the dazed girl. Roman pointed the end of his cane at her forehead, "Don't blink."

She looked up at him, startled by the position she was in, and closed her eyes in preparation for the pain to come.

_Stupid girl_, Roman thought as he batted her aside, striking her temple and knocking her out.

"Seriously?" he said to no one, as both opponents were unconscious. "You have aura but instead of activating it, you," he pointed at the muscular guy, "get taken out by a plant, and you," looking down at the girl, "closed your eyes against someone you could still fight against. What the hell did you think would happen? If you couldn't see me than I couldn't see you?"

He huffed, more upset about them being idiots than them assaulting him. Roman turned up his walking stick, looking at the end of it. Solid with no opening. Nothing that could even resemble a gun.

The ginger walked over to the downed guy, removing the hat from his head. Stretching the string at the bottom, Roman put on the camo hat. He left it for a moment before, with an exaggerated sigh, he let the headwear fall onto its rightful owner.

As Roman wandered away, he cursed to himself. The clothes made the man, or so he had heard. And while he definitely needed a wardrobe upgrade, what was truly missing from his outfit was a hat.

_One day, _he thought. _One day I'll find the one._

* * *

**And that's it for this one. There were some reused parts, like the first half of Summer's scene and parts of Vienna, but I still liked those parts, so I figured "Eh, why not."**

**Next Chapter: March 26**

**Until next time.**


	9. Beacon's Menagerie

**As of making this AN, it is currently 23:26 on my end. So, I'm really pushing the deadline with this one. Honestly, not quite sure how I feel about it, but I'm definitely glad to be done with the Initiation part of this. The first half of this chapter was a lot more difficult to write than the last. That's just how things work sometimes.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 9 - Beacon's Menagerie**

* * *

How long had he been out here? Days? Weeks? Maybe even months? Oobleck sighed. No, it only felt like such. It had been only an hour or so, tops. It had only felt longer, as he wandered through the forest. He had known coming to Beacon would cut into the time he could be using for reading or napping, but that was something he had accepted. Though, not without preparation.

Bart had studied various maps of Vale and its surrounding landscape. The Emerald Forest one such location. He had gone over it multiple times, committing it to memory, and by doing so, having access to it via his semblance. With sparse use of aura, he could produce a holographic map of any place he knew. While it wouldn't show anyone on the map other than himself, it would have allowed himself to pass through the forest quicker and easier.

The plan was set. Make his way to the few man-made structures, collect a relic at one of them, get out with time to spare. But no plan survives contact with the enemy. Especially when that enemy was a blonde with a superiority complex who was confident that she knew where she was going.

Oh, and that enemy was his partner. He couldn't help but sigh again.

"Are you going to stop that anytime soon?" his partner asked with a clipped tone. "That's the tenth sigh in the last few minutes.

"No."

Well, it was always best to be honest. At least, it was easier. If he didn't lie, he wouldn't have to keep a check on his actions, nor weave tales he would have to keep up with. And he didn't have to listen to people complain about how he hadn't told the truth or went back on his word. Yep. Honesty was the best policy.

The branch that he had to duck under let him know just what his teammate had thought about that.

Like this, their journey continued. Glynda confident in herself to lead them in the right direction, and he reluctantly following along even though he knew they were, at this moment, passing between two possible candidates for the temple. Maybe he could try broaching the subject again. The first time got him an earful of how she was raised outside the walls and that the woods were her backyard, while the last four rewarded him with a glare. But the sixth time could be the charm...

"Glynda," he called.

The light blonde ahead of him stopped, turning around to give him her full attention.

"I'm sure you have plenty of experience in forests-" he started.

Behind her, from the sheathes on the small of her back, eight daggers appeared, floating in a circle above her. She lifted her right arm.

Oobleck backed up.

_What the hell is this woman's problem?!_

He released the ends of his quarterstaff, holding it up for protection. His teammate thrust her hand up, signaling for her blades to soar forward.

And around him.

The sound of bodies hitting the ground caused the panicked teen to turn around to find two Ursai. Each with four daggers embedded into them. Their limbs pierced into the ground, gravity dust imbued in the blades to keep them from moving.

The green-haired teen spun his staff around, pointing towards the downed Grimm. The effect of the fire and wind dust crystals combined inside the hollowed-out rod, and from the end, a blazing storm erupted, scorching everything in its path.

Though the fire died, the wind continued to course through the forest, snuffing out the flames that were burning the woodland.

"Not bad."

Bart turned around to watch the blonde motion her fingers in a _come here_ motion, and eight daggers flew over his head and into their sheathes.

"Now make sure to keep up. I doubt there's enough of these 'relics' for all twenty-five teams."

With her piece said, Glynda turned around and began walking. He wanted to stop her again. Try to, once again, explain his semblance to her. But a different part of him didn't want to tick off a woman who could fling knives around with her mind. The latter won out as he continued following after his teammate.

Why couldn't he have a less intense partner?

* * *

"Another team has been evacuated.

Ozpin gave Vienna a nod as he kept his gaze on the video feed from the cameras inside the forest. It was inevitable in a competition that there would be casualties, and from the ashes of the fallen rose the flames of warriors. But even the Headmaster could not approve of some of the actions he had observed.

**"He is a bit problematic, isn't he."**

That was one way to put it. Nero Osmond had been actively tearing down other initiates, but that within itself wasn't the issue. Raven Branwen too was getting rid of anyone that could decrease her chances of becoming a Beacon student, making sure to target only teams. But whether because of her own morality, or not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, she had only gone as far as to knock them out. And she wasn't the only one doing such.

But where the Branwen acted out with cold and calculative logic, Osmond seemed to take a type of pleasure in it exerting his dominance over the teams he took out, especially over Faunus. Reportedly, out of all those brought back from the Emerald Forest, the most injured were of Faunus kind. Broken limbs and cuts that were bound to scar. Nothing that wouldn't heal, but unnecessary.

Nero Osmond believed himself to be untouchable... And in this instance, he was right.

If Ozpin were to take the footage to the Council, it would be thrown out as self-defense, no matter how excessive. The councilman's son had not been seen to throw the first punch but was always quick to retaliate. Match that with the bias that even Vale's Council held for the 'demi-humans', it would not have a passing glance. If Osmond had taken a life, it may have been different, for appearance sake if nothing else. But that was not the case.

And despite being the Headmaster, Ozpin was restricted by their own rules for how to deal with these types. If it were in the hallways or class, there could have been disciplinary action, with a possibility of expulsion for repeated offense. However, this was not a classroom setting. And Ozpin held no doubt that once the term started, the boy would quickly change his tune.

Nero had immunity as long as he stayed within certain borders, and he was going to milk it for all its worth.

As Ozpin watched the initiate in question take down another team, the rustle of a tree branch caught his eye and he barely caught a blurred figure go past. He hadn't thought of that. If someone was going to test the boundaries, then it wasn't rules and regulations he needed to rely on, but someone that existed outside of them.

* * *

The trunk of a tree splintered from the weight of a young man that had crashed into it. Aura flickered and faded as he lost consciousness. His teammate, woodland skin washing away to a shade of brown, struggled to push himself off the ground, just for a foot to stomp down on his back, forcing him to remain where he was.

_Pathetic._

And it truly was. So far, every opponent he had fought were little more than unskilled beasts, man and faunus alike. Even now, the human swung with ferocity and strength but with very little thought. And the one under his heel, capable of blending in with his surroundings, couldn't even do a proper ambush. Nero scoffed as the animal under him struggled. He applied more pressure to keep the other _initiate_ right where he belonged. Beneath his heel.

This is the talent that the headmaster had approved to reside in the school? Even if it would only be for a limited time, and the onyx-haired young man would make sure it was, the choice to even allow this filth to reside in his academy showed how poor a choice it was for Ozpin to be in charge.

Nero was broken from his thoughts as dirt hit his face. He narrowed his eyes as the beast who should have understood his place side-eye glared at his better. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all. The young raised his weapon, forty-two inches of metal in the shape of a single-edged blade with four tubes of yellow dust embedded in the back of the sword. The weapon sparked as he swung downward. What better way to train an animal than with his version of a shock collar?

A single hand reached out, grabbing the electrified blade, halting it mid descent. Nero's eyes widened at the appearance of the beast before him as pale-blue orbs met gold.

"They're beaten," the animal told him, unbothered by the electricity coursing through him. "Any more than this is unnecessary."

_It's always necessary to put the lesser in their place._

Nero knew better to voice this, especially to the creature before him. The nine fox tails waving behind the blonde showed he wasn't like the rest of the beasts. A mutation maybe? A freak that became even more so. The young man held back a sneer. The one before him was alone, so that meant he would be forced to spend the next four years with this thing.

Hiding his displeasure, Nero removed his foot from the one below him and retracted his weapon. The top half of the blade bending backward, two of the dust cylinders resting on top of the ones on the bottom part of the blade. The hilt tilting down, taking it's place as the grip of his now ranged-weapon. Placing it on the small of his back, Nero put on his most gentlemanly smile, holding out his now empty right hand in greeting.

"My apologies. I must have lost myself for a moment," Nero told him. "You know how it is in the midst of battle. I had to protect myself. Anyway, I'm Nero Osmond. It's nice to meet you, partner."

The blonde didn't take his hand, his eyes hardened and a frown set. The young man raised his hand. Was that a signal? Did this animal have a partner and they were waiting for him to get his guard down?

From nowhere, two more figures appeared. Lightly armored and dressed in black, masks covering their face. The two worked quickly, gathering the ones he defeated, and then disappearing into the wind. Nero couldn't hide his shock.

The man before him didn't care, "I know this is a competition as much as it is a test, but you've taken things too far too many times. This is your only warning. Any more than this, than we will come down on you."

Nero's smile dipped downwards, "Are you threatening me?"

Gold eyes faded to sapphire as he shook his head, "I'm warning you. We'll be watching."

Before the onyx-haired young man could say another word, the blonde was gone. Nero could feel the disdain for the blonde wash over him, as he grits his teeth at the rage he was feeling. How dare a lowly animal threatens him! The building anger clouded his mind, and as he heard the howls of Grimm in the distance, he put the blonde's words to the back of his mind.

Never noticing the several pair of eyes constantly monitoring him.

* * *

"Made it!"

Gretchen through her arms in the air in celebration. It had been a long boring track through the woods, never encountering Grimm or other students, but as she made her way to what could only be the temple, with multiple objects on pedestals, she could finally be done with this test.

"Puzzle pieces?"

Lifting one of the _relics _off its resting place, she found it was a bit larger than her hand. A white piece, with a small opening on its right side, probably where its match would connect. On it, half of a picture of what could be a lamp. Odd, be whatever. The important thing was she got a relic. Now, all she had to do was wait here and either partner with Summer, because if she could get her without partnering up with anyone, her friend could have done the same.

If not, then Gretchen could point Summer and whoever she had partnered with to the matching piece.

"Hey partner," some guy called to her. "Looks like you got our get-in-to Beacon card."

Gretchen looked around to see if there was anyone else as the orange-haired guy walked her way. By himself...

"You mean my relic?"

"Our relic," he corrected, taking the piece from her hand and looking it over. "Unless you have a teammate I'm not seeing."

She shook her head, bottling the frustration she felt at someone rudely taking the relic from her hand. He grinned.

"Then it looks like we're partners. And as I see it, as partners, what's yours is mine."

"Does that mean what yours is mine too."

He tore his gaze from the object in his hand and to her, "We just met and you're talking marriage?"

"What?!" Gretchen squawked. "Not on your life! I was going by what you said!"

"I'm not sure how those two things are connected."

"But you said-"

"Gretchen!" A familiar voice yelled, cutting through her and her _teammate's _conversation. The brunette didn't have time to answer as a human missile collided with her. Unprepared for the weight, Gretchen fell with Summer.

"How long have you been here? Did you fight any Grimm? Do you have a partner? I do! Funny story, when I was going to land, the tree I was about to land on fell, and then I fell, but Qrow, that's my partner, caught me. With his back. Okay, maybe not so much as catching me as him softening my landing, but that counts for something. He doesn't talk much, but he has a really cool sword that turns into a scythe-"

The brunette held a hand in front of the girl on top of her that was less talking and more firing a verbal machine gun, "Summer."

"Yes?"

"No."

"Okay."

The short silence that came from quieting her excited friend was cut short by her partner, "It's only been a few minutes, and already you're laying with someone else. Woe-is-me."

As the got their feet, Gretchen pinned her emerald-eyed partner with a glare, "I think I hate you."

"So it is marriage,"

Summer gasped, "You're married?!"

"No!" she yelled. "And you-"

"It's Roman Torchwick, thank you very much."

"I don't care."

"But I'm your partner."

Gretchen looked over to the dark-haired young man walking up to them, hands in his pockets and a look of disinterest. Probably Qrow.

"I'll trade you," she said to the teen, who gave her a confused look. "I get Summer and you get this guy."

"Rude."

"Still don't care."

Qrow looked between the three of them, "Aren't our partners the first we make eye contact with?"

"Well, yea, but who would know?" She saw Roman point at himself, "Besides us."

"Whoever's watching the cameras," Qrow said. "They're not going to just throw us in here and say good luck. We're being monitored."

Which meant that the Headmaster, the teachers with him on the cliff, and whoever else were watching them. And that the partners were set in stone. Gretchen's head fell as Roman placed his arm over her shoulder, pointing his cane into the distance.

"Looks like it's you and me. The charming gentleman and his sidekick. We're going places, just watch."

"And we can still be on the same team," Summer reasoned before the brunette could strangle the soon-to-be-dead gentleman.

The white-cloaked girl was right. All they had to do was get the matching piece to their's and-

"Hey Barty, catch!"

As two more figures emerged from the thicket, her partner tossed a relic their way. She looked to the pedestals to realize the one she had been saving for Summer was gone. Probably the one now in the hands of a guy that seemed to be done with all of this. When had Roman even taken it?!

"You should handle school property with better care," the blonde chastised as they approached.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were a teacher."

"I'm not."

"Well then, in that case," Roman picked up another puzzle piece and threw it at Summer's partner, "You get it a relic!" A red portal opened, "You get a relic!"

The first thing through was the edge of a crimson blade, severing the piece in half. Next was its red and black dressed wielder followed by a blonde with a polearm strapped to his back.

The group watched as the portal closed, the two halves of a single relic laying at Raven's feet. Roman turned to Barty's, which Gretchen hoped was just a nickname, partner.

"To be fair, I didn't think that would happen."

She only scowled, as Barty sighed, "Please don't get her riled up."

"And what do you mean by that?"

Roman snorted. Gretchen gave an exasperated sigh.

With each set of partners having their own relic, the group set out.

"So," Summer spoke up, "Anyone know the way back."

Roman answered, "It's your time to shine, Bart."

The green-haired guy stepped up as they all focused on him. In the air before him appeared a greenish holographic map. Made from aura, if Gretchen had to guess.

"You could do this the whole time?" his partner questioned. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

Bart only sighed. He seemed to do that a lot.

* * *

Naruto, standing on the cliffside, feet stuck to the natural wall by chakra, focused on the forest below. His clones, disguised, for the most part, traversed the woods for initiates that had fallen unconscious or were too weakened from battle to continue. That was the promise he had made. To act as a kind of guardian for them.

Kurama scoffed, **"Waste of time. The brats should get used to fighting without someone saving them before they die."**

_They're just learning_, Naruto tried to reason. For younger than he had or the rest of the shinobi who had graduated from the Academy around the age of twelve or thirteen, but in his world, they were fighting humans. These people were fighting beasts. _Though, there might be someone behind them._

"**The old man's keeping his mouth shut about it if there is."**

As Ozpin was relatively young, mid-twenties if he had to guess, the blonde could only think that the chakra beast was referring to the other soul inside the man. Ozma, he had introduced himself as. As sociable as he was, and friendlier in the earlier days compared to Ozpin himself, he held an air of secrecy.

_But it's not like we don't have our own._

No one but he and Sasuke knew about Kurama. While they knew a little of what he and Sasuke were capable of, enough for neither Ozpin or Ozma to want either of the shinobi as enemies, no one knew the full extent nor who they were before their... Relocation.

Kurama didn't bother saying anything. Whether that was because he thought Naruto was right or didn't care enough, the blonde wasn't sure. Though, if he was a betting man, it'd be the latter.

A spike of negativity caught his attention, and from deeper in the forest, a large black mass appeared. Eight white legs, probably bone plated, lifted the body. Naruto shivered. While he may not have a fear of insects, they still weren't his favorite thing in the world. And that was a really big spider.

He could hear Shino's voice saying that spiders were arachnids, not insects. Whatever. It was creepy and crawly, that's all that mattered.

"_Naruto, do you see that?" _Ozpin's voice asked from his earbud.

"You mean big, black, and crawly?" he returned, knowing full well that the Grimm was what the man was referring to. "Yea, I see it."

"_That's an Arachne Empress," _the headmaster informed him. _"A type of elder Grimm. I don't believe it's something a first-year can handle."_

In short, will Naruto take care of it? The man could never just come out and ask for aid. Instead, he'd tell the blonde how much it would help out or what would happen if he didn't. Did he think Naruto would say no if he wasn't told was at stake, or maybe a form of manipulation? The blonde didn't want to think that someone like a kind grandfather would do such a thing, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Su-"

"**Don't."**

_Kurama?_

"**Are you going to stay here for the rest of your life?"**

_You know that I won't._

"**Than don't go solving everyone's problems. All you're going to do is make them reliant on you. And I don't care where I am, I won't be used as a weapon."**

His giant friend had a point. He could easily handle most of this world's current problems. But what then? They'd become used to him resolving every issue. Some would look up to him, others would want him weaponized or sealed out of fear of his ability. And then what happened when he left? What if another threat arose? Saving them now could doom them in the future.

"_Naruto?"_

"I'll drop in when it becomes necessary, Oz," he told the headmaster. "Not a moment before."

Maybe he shouldn't intervene too much, but he couldn't just stand by and watch someone in need. Either the group took out the elder Grimm, or he did. Either way, he'd make sure they wouldn't die.

* * *

Almost. They were almost there. Tai was never one to shy away from social situations. Some would say he actively sought them out. Always the life of the party. But even he had grown tired from the contrasting personalities that were their little group of misfits. And, as it turned out, he wasn't the only one that could make a memorable first impression. His partner was good at it too. By trying to cut the shortest one of the party down when they first met.

_And she cut our relic in half too,_ he reminded himself. _Why does everything keep coming back to her blade?_

Needless to say, the trip back to where they began had not been a quiet affair. Oddly enough, it wasn't even Summer that had a problem with Raven. The girl was constantly trying to make conversation with his partner. And everyone else. Tai was convinced the cloaked girl didn't have a shy nerve in her body. So happy and friendly. An inspiration to them all.

No, Summer was fine. The problems came from Gretchen, Glynda, and Raven herself. Gretchen trying to put a stop to the non-budding friendship, Raven either taunting the brunette or speaking her mind by saying things like the weak should keep their mouth shut. And then Glynda trying to play mother attempting to get her daughters to stop bickering while inside the dark and dangerous forest.

"Who do you think will kill who first?" Roman asked the other guy's in their group. "My bet's on the teacher's pet ripping my partner a new one."

He didn't know if the guy had nerves of steel or thought he could fight the three off, maybe four if Summer thought it was a bonding moment.

"Raven against the blonde and brunette," Qrow chimed in.

The guy had been mostly quiet since their first meeting, trying to keep himself away from the crowd. After a bit of travel, and self-proclaimed _charming gentleman_ forcing him to take part whether he wanted to or not, Tai was sure Raven's brother had gotten over his shyness. He wouldn't answer anything about their past, nor how to get into his sister's good graces, but he participated in light-hearted conversation or whatever Roman decided to say at any given time.

"Not Summer?" Tai asked.

The red-eyed guy shrugged, "Saw how she reacted yesterday. Almost like instinct."

"We're here." Bart raised his voice to catch their attention.

Sure enough, they had made it back to the cliff they had been launched from. There was only one problem...

"Ummm, anyone remember their climbing gear?" Summer asked.

In front of them was the cliff back to Beacon, and the only way out of the forest was up. Was this part of the test? Were they expected to climb up themselves? Or were they to wait and someone would come down to get them? It was probably the first. If they wanted to be Hunters than it would be expected they adapt to their terrain. What better way to do that then using what they were born with to scale the rock face.

Roman shield his eyes from the afternoon sun as he looked up, "I think a freaky fox beat us here."

"A fox?" Summer mimicked his actions. "I think that's Naruto!"

Naruto? Tai looked up to see a figure up near the top. While the details were a bit blurred, there was no mistaking the nine tails that swayed back-and-forth behind him. He had wondered why he hadn't seen the -faunus?- during Initiation. And was he standing sideways?

The sound of metal on rock resounded, as Tai tore his eyes away from Naruto to see his partner using her sword to pull herself up. He almost wanted to ask how she expected for that to get her to the top, until she swung backward, her body rotating above her blade with her feet landing on the rock face. In a swift movement, she pulled her blade from below her and stabbed it above.

Tai wasn't sure if he should clap or not. While he didn't know if Raven could keep going like that all the way up, he had to give her kudos for creativity.

"Guys," Roman said, tearing their attention away from the still climbing girl. "We have a problem."

Everyone not Raven turned to where their orange-haired member was pointing to, to see over the sea of trees was a mass of darkness approaching them. The closer it got, the more they could feel the ground shake. A long, bone-plated leg stepped over the forestry. Followed by another... And another... And another...

"I don't like spiders most days," Roman told them as the enormous Arachne brought its entire form in front of them. White fangs as big as their tallest member, either him or Glynda and eight crimson, hate-filled eyes looking down on them. "Surprisingly, I like giant Grimm spiders even less."

Raven, having noticed the Arachne, dropped to the ground, "Then squash it."

The oranget gave her a bland look, "Oh, great idea. Now if only I knew where I but my massive mallet. It's around here somewhere."

"Your sarcasm is unneeded," Glynda told him, eight daggers already circling overhead.

"There's a huge fuck-you Grimm staring us down. My sarcasm is very needed."

"We all have different ways of dealing with stress," Summer reasoned, as she pulled her weapons from their holsters, and extending them into batons.

"No, Roman's always like that," Bart told them.

"It's part of my charm."

Raven snorted, "Is that what you call it?"

"Better than hacking at everything that crosses my path."

"You're in my path, does that mean I can _hack_ at you?"

"Focus on the Grimm now," Qrow told the two, "Kill each other later."

A high-pitched screeching noise interrupted any further conversation, as a leg pierced into the ground where the group had stood, forcing them to evade. The creature hissed as venom shot from its fangs. Gretchen rolled towards the arachnid, the projectile soaring over her head.

"Anyone have a plan?" Tai yelled over the chaos.

He saw Roman's eyes meet Bart's.

"Old faithful?"

"You hit it hard-"

"And you hit it harder."

The impromptu meeting over, Roman charged forward, side-stepping another leg and shot of venom. With an upward swing of his cane, the oranget forced the fangs that were about to sink into him skyward as he slipped underneath the Grimm. Oobleck followed up with a vortex of flames erupting from his staff.

As the fire burned out, Tai charged in his Guandao at his side. He knocked another limb away, slashing at the creature and spinning his polearm around to the reveal the shotgun on the other end. Before he could pull the trigger at point-blank range, the monster jumped out of range.

"Nimble bastard."

As it landed, causing the ground to vibrate, Summer yelled, "We need to stop its movements. Qrow! Raven!"

Raven let out a _'Tch'_ but complied, "Qrow, take the right."

"On it."

Its eyes watched them approach, prepared to fend them off or hop away again. Tai stepped towards it.

"Over here!"

All eight blood-red orbs focused in on him as it let out an angry hiss. Even smart Grimm couldn't look away when he used his semblance. Agro, able to keep all negative attention on himself. Some had accused that his semblance was attraction, considering his luck with the ladies. Poor fools.

That was all him.

To keep the arachnid in place, Glynda stabbed her daggers into its legs, activating the gravity dust imbued in them to weigh the creature down. Unable to move its limbs, it did the only other thing it could think of, deciding to lower its body to pierce Tai with its fangs.

Summer, in a flurry of roses, appeared, knocking the attack to the side and dislodging one of the creature's natural weapons. Unperturbed, it righted itself and came back for another strike, knocked aside by the reappearance of Roman. The creature screeched, its body falling at the loss of its limbs the twins had removed. Summer and Roman spun in opposite directions, their blunt weapons colliding with and removing the Grimm's fangs.

Taiyang approached the downed creature as it screeched and thrashed around as best it could. As he raised his shotgun to it once again, its eyes bore into him, probably cursing him to death with its limited intelligence.

He pulled the trigger. The Grimm faded into a wisp of black smoke.

All except a large white object.

"That's not good."

Everyone turned to Bart, with Roman speaking up for them, "Care to share what's _not good_ with the rest of the class?"

"You know how some Grimm can spawn others?"

"Like the Wyvern that appeared during the Great War?" Glynda asked.

"Yes. If my guess is right, what we fought was an Empress, and that," he pointed at the large object in front of them, "is her egg sac."

There was a short silence.

"So, how many Grimm are we looking at here?" Gretchen asked.

"Going by the size, and how many an Arachne can usually lay, somewhere in the thousands."

The brunette's mouth fell open, "That's not good."

Roman asked, "Any idea how long until the little nightmares come out to play?"

"I don't know," Bart answered honestly. "It could be a few days to a couple of weeks."

The sack cracked.

"Or it could be right now."

"Damn it, Bart."

Tai looked around, "So, any more plans. Particularly for large scale extermination."

Qrow looked to their local Arachne expert, "Can't you just burn em down?"

"A few hundred, yes," he replied. "But my crystal won't last more than that, and I didn't bring any spares."

Another crack. Multiple eyes peering to the outside world.

"Plan. Now!"

Raven stood at the ready, her sword at the ready, "They're only bugs. Let's cut them up and be done with it."

"Arachnids," Bart and Glynda corrected her, with Glynda following up, "And what they lose in quality they more than make up for in quantity. And we're not exactly well-rested and prepared for drawn-out combat."

"Do you have a better idea?"

Glynda frowned, "No."

"Than cutting them up it is."

Summer stepped up beside the black-haired girl, her batons at her side, "Let's do this."

"What are you going to do with sticks?"

The cloaked girl pushed her weapons' triggers forward, the silver dots spread across her _sticks_ pushing outwards into spikes.

"They're very pointy sticks."

Tai's partner let out a laugh, a grin gracing her pale face. Was that a good sign? Maybe Tai should take the chance to try his charm again.

That thought was halted as the sac cracked once more, before shattering completely as a tidal wave of darkness poured out.

* * *

Naruto smiled to himself as he watched the group defeat an elder Grimm. Ozpin had been worried if the shouting in his ear was anything to go by, but they pulled through. But now it was his turn. He had sensed it before the creature's death. Many sources of negative energy coming from the elder. And even when it was killed, it was still there.

He raised his sole arm in the air, as he focused chakra in his palm. His tails raised, taking out the need for clones for this technique. The ball of chakra continued rotating, growing bigger and bigger. The wind howled as he added the wind element to his attack.

He added more energy. More chakra. His original jutsu continued to grow in size and power. It needed to be enough to finish the job.

* * *

"Cut the live feed."

Ozpin shouted over the howls of wind, a giant orb of power forcing them back or else be caught in it.

"Ozpin, what is-" Vienna yelled

"Cut the feed, now!"

_I asked you to step in to protect my student, not destroy the entire forest!_

* * *

Lucian Scarlatina's ears stood up, his faunus instincts yelling at him to run.

"Lucy?" his partner said, her normally jovial tone taking a serious edge. "What's wrong?"

He looked away from his scroll, the live feed for the Initiation having been cut off as roaring whirlwind swept over Beacon's Cliff.

Lucian shook, fighting every part of him that screamed to flee, "I-I don't know."

* * *

"Finally, we made it," Vivian had said. Saphire hair disheveled and crystal eyes that dared someone to get on her bad side.

"And we're lucky, there's still two pieces left," her partner, Nero Osmond, said. A teasing smirk appeared, "Now we just have to make it back."

The young woman slumped over, "Don't say that!"

Khloe ignored the rest of their banter. While she didn't care about the girl, Osmond was an unpleasant addition to their group. Nero himself seemed alright, but she was more than aware of his father's opinion on faunus. Under her cap, silver furred canine ears twitched.

A gust of wind picked up, and Vivian complained more. As the gust picked up, growing stronger, an overwhelming feeling assaulted her. The feeling of being in the area of a predator. A cold sweat began to coat her body.

She couldn't stop the growl escaping her lips as someone grabbed her arm.

Kei looked at her worryingly, "What's wrong?"

Khloe looked towards where the feeling was coming from, making out some kind of giant orb in the distance.

"...It's coming..."

* * *

Taiyang wasn't sure what happened next. One moment, they stood prepared to face down the waves of Arachne, the next he and the rest of his group were being carried up the cliff by some people in masks. On their way up, his eyes met Naruto's. His fellow blonde's lips moved, but Tai couldn't hear what over the sound from whatever he held above him. But he could still make out the words.

_Leave the rest to me._

And then they passed him. Tai could tell from the expressions of everyone else, that none of them knew what was going to happen next. Just that it would be big.

As the group landed, they kept to the edge of the cliff, mesmerized by what Naruto held above him. A ball of energy, blades spinning around it, larger than the trees in the Emerald Forest it was aimed at. He threw the orb where they had once stood. It ripped and tore through the forestry, the cries of the newly spawn Grimm drowned out by the roar of the wind storm. And then there was a bright flash of light.

As the gale calmed, and the noise died down, the group peered over the edge. Naruto stood where he had, but beyond him was a cataclysm. Where woodlands had once been, was now little more than a crater spread out so far, it was just a hair away from the temple itself.

Roman, of course, was the first to speak.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say... What the fuck was that?"

* * *

**Oops? Let me be honest, I'm not quite sure how powerful the Big-Ball Rasenshuriken is. And no, no one died. That'll be touched on the next chapter, but I wanted to head off anyone that thinks I'm a blood-thirsty sociopath... I mean, I am, just not in this instance.  
**

**Slight edit: Okay, so the first couple reviews told me how wrong I was about the power level his technique. Apparently, if anything, I lessened the blow. So, I made the executive decision to take out the very last part of this chapter. A sentence or two at most. Thanks for the feedback.**

**One chapter left until another character reveal.**

**Next Chapter: April 2nd**

**Until next time.**


	10. From Light to Darkness

**So, I'm a bit late. Sorry about that. A few things before we get to the chapter, and I'll start with the one that is most likely to lose me readers. As I said in a previous AN, I want pairings that will fit in the story, not ones that I have to force together. With that said, the further I get into the planning, the more that Naruto x Summer may become a bit... Problematic. This isn't me saying that it Summer's out of the running, just that Naruto's pairing is up in the air.**

**Second, about the Big-Ball Rasenshuriken from the last chapter. I was sent the manga chapter and anime scene of when it was used, and I personally feel like what I was trying to do powered it up. I feel that there was some confusion. It wasn't Naruto in Six-Paths Sage mode last chapter, just standard Sage mode, albeit, enhanced after his fusion with Kurama. And if anyone disagrees with my decision, or believes I'm wrong (which, I may be, even after going through the manga and anime) let's just agree that it's me, a casual, taking creative liberties. If I keep going back and forth on this, I'll get nowhere.**

**Beta: **OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 10 - From Light to Darkness**

* * *

Summer tapped her foot impatiently. The first-year teams that had collected their relics standing off to the side as they were called up for the older students and staff to see. Already, three teams had been placed, one with members that Tai was familiar with. Jasmine Jewel and Jaylin Jewel if she remembered correctly. Sisters, from what he had told them. When Roman had pointed out they looked nothing alike, Tai had told them Jasmine was adopted.

"Keiran Arun, Vivian Iantha, Khloe Nadia, and Nero Osmond."

The deputy headmistress called out, pictures of each appeared above the stage. Lined up in order as their photos on the screen, the girl, Khloe, stood near the edge of the stage with silver hair under a pine green flat cap that matched her eyes. To her right was Nero Osmond, the dusky blue-haired member Keiran, and Vivian.

"The four of you collected the pieces of destruction. From this day forth, you shall be known as Team Navy," the letters spelled NNAV on the screen. "Lead by Khloe Nadia."

It should have been exciting news. Not only were they a team of Beacon, but the girl, Khloe, had been made team leader. So why, Summer wondered to herself, did she not look that happy about it? The dark green-dressed girl actually looked annoyed at the fact. Beside her, though hidden by a congratulating smile quickly enough, Summer had seen him sneer. _SNEER!_ Was he that upset at not being made leader? Even Keiran looked sadder than anything.

Out of all of them, only Vivian seemed to be pleased about the team.

"Hope that good cheer of their's doesn't rub off on the rest of us," Roman said to the group. "Be a pity to actually enjoy something."

As Navy made their way off stage, the pictures of her friends appeared next as they made their way up. Some would ask Summer how she could call strangers she'd known for such a short time, friends. She'd just shake her head, an indulgent smile on her face as if she was speaking to a child.

It was a rule; Those that kill together, stay together.

"Glynda Goodwitch, Bartholomew Oobleck, Gretchen Rainart, and Roman Torchwick. The four of you collected the pieces of Knowledge. From this day forth, you shall be known as team Grandiose," the letters arranged as GGRO. "Lead by Glynda Goodwitch."

Another round of applause, though Summer's own, was much more heartfelt. And other than Bart, who yawned at the news, they had more pep than the previous team. Glynda with a pleased smile, probably at being made team leader. Gretchen wore a grin of her own, giving her leader a pat on the back that made the blonde take a step forward. And Roman theatrically bowing to the crowd.

"Grandiose," Qrow repeated the name. "With a name like that, Roman should be in charge."

Summer giggled as Tai snorted. She wasn't sure if it was the joke that made her laugh, or because it was her serious partner that had said it.

As Grandiose made their way off stage, Summer was the first one up.

_They saved the best for last._

"Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen, Summer Rose, and Taiyang Xiao-Long. You four collected the pieces of Choice. From this day forth, you shall be known as team Stark. Lead by Summer Rose."

Summer let her inner self jump in joy, fist pump, and shout her victory to her mind's sky. Not only was she a student of Beacon Academy, but she was the leader of her own team! On the outside, her face lit up at the news. Qrow sent her a nod of acknowledgment and Tai with a congratulatory thumbs-up. She looked to the only other lady of the team, who was eyeing her. Raven didn't smile or mouth any words of encouragement, but she didn't look taken back by the fact she hadn't been made leader.

If anything, the dark-haired girl's expression was more... Curious? Summer wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad.

As the applause died down, STRQ made their way off the platform, and their leader was quickly assaulted by the ever-touchy Gretchen.

"You're the leader!" she congratulated the cloaked girl, cutting off any reply Summer may have had with a bone-crushing hug.

"To all first-year teams, this is an official welcome to Beacon Academy," Professor Ardena spoke over the crowd. She didn't so much as ask for her audience to quiet down as much as her presence demanded their full attention. "You are not the best of the initiates, but the best of the best. And for the next four years, you will be expected to show it. To those in the higher years, act as you have been taught, and give aid where it is needed. Young, they may be, but one day they could be the ones to save your life."

"Real motivator, isn't she?" the oranget stage whispered.

"Classes will begin Monday morning. Dismissed." And with that, the Deputy Headmistress made her exit.

"Um, Gretchen," Tai said, "Could you maybe not kill our leader?"

Summer gasped for breath as her almost-murderer let her go, laughing awkwardly. Summer coughed, taking in gulps of fresh air. Raising her head, she looked around. Something felt off. All teams had been made, but one person was missing.

"Where's Naruto?"

Tai looked around, "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him since-"

"Since he decided to change the landscape?" Roman finished. "I know where he is."

"Really?" Summer and Tai asked. Summer noticed Raven and Qrow focusing on him too.

"Yep. Far away from me."

The cloaked girl gave him a flat look, "Not funny or helpful."

"Not trying to be. Seriously, who goes looking for a walking, talking catastrophe?"

"He's a good guy."

"I'm sure. One of my best friends was a dust bomb. Called him Andy."

"Roman aside," Oobleck interrupted, "Your friend may not have made it through Initiation. Strong as he may be, that doesn't mean he met the requirements to pass."

Glynda followed up, "And even if he had, with such reckless use of his semblance, or dust, or whatever that had been, the headmaster surely wouldn't have allowed someone like that to remain."

"But he was just-"

Summer was interrupted by Raven, "You think Ozpin or the Kingdom would let a weapon like that out of their grasp?"

Summer gasped, "Weapon?! But he's not-"

"I believe the headmaster would do what is necessary for the safety of those in his care."

Before Raven could reply, Summer put her hands out, frustrated from being talked over, "Enough! This is going nowhere. And Naruto is a good person," she sent both them and Roman a glare, "Not dangerous, and not a weapon."

"Pretty sure he's dangerous."

"Not helping, Roman."

Older students, if they being in Beacon uniforms when the new teams had yet to get their own sets was anything to go by, walked past, chatting with each other.

"That was weird," one said to his friend. "Isn't it the headmaster that usually does team placements?"

"You didn't hear?" the young woman beside him asked, as he shook his head. "Sol saw Professor Ozpin going up to his office with a blond faunus with nine tails."

"Nine tails?" he shook his head, "You mean that guy we saw before the video went down?"

She nodded, "Yep. And the headmaster looked pissed."

As they walked away, their conversation turned to how and why Naruto had nine tails. Glynda crossed her arms, "No doubt seeing him sent away from the grounds, and possibly fined for damages."

Raven laughed, "With strength like that, not likely. No one gets rid of power, girl. For someone that believes they're so smart, you're really ignorant."

Glynda's daggers unsheathed, "You dare-"

Raven drew her sword as Summer once again attempted to make the two back down.

"Anyone want to help me here?"

She looked back to the guys and Gretchen.

Roman, helpful as always, was the first to speak, "Fifty lien on the crazy chick beating teacher's pet."

"I'll take that bet," to Summer's surprise, and horror, it was Gretchen that replied. "Come on, leader. Take the bird bitch down!"

Summer could only despair when Tai and Qrow joined in as Bart left the group to find his team's dorm.

Leaving her as the sole member of the peacekeepers. At least it couldn't get any worse... Right?

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Ozpin sat down behind his desk, the setting sun at his back. "I asked you to remove the Empress. Instead, you allowed my students to be put at risk."

"Aren't they training to fight these things?" Naruto argued, standing before him. "What would they learn if I killed it for them? Which, for the record, they did."

Ozpin's frown deepened, "But there was no problem with destroying the egg?"

"There's a difference between letting them fight one Grimm and watching them get overwhelmed by many. "

So, fighting a superior opponent was fine, but getting swarmed was not. Should they not have learned how to combat high numbers of Grimm? Was that a contradiction in the blond's thinking? The headmaster wouldn't question it at, as that contradiction saved the two teams.

"And when you did intervene," Ozpin continued, moving on to the next topic. "Your ability took out, not only the Empress's egg sac but a large portion of the Emerald Forest."

The teen scratched his cheek, "Yea, about that..."

"I don't like that tone."

"See, I created this jutsu, the Rasenshuriken. Usually, I need two clones to help me with it, but I thought my tails could do the same," Naruto grinned. "And it worked!"

"I'm waiting for the _but_."

"But," the blond repeated the word, "It worked too well. I told myself I needed it to be enough to destroy the sac, and kept unconsciously pumping chakra into it."

The headmaster rubbed his forehead, "That is a reckless use of power. Is that normally something you do?"

"No, it's not. These," Naruto's tails waved behind him, "are constantly taking in nature energy-"

"Nature energy?"

"And that threw my control off," he finished.

There was a pregnant pause, "Are you telling me you're unstable?"

"What?! No!" Naruto refuted. "That was just a slip-up."

"And what would a less powered version of your Rasenshuriken do?"

"Destroy anything in its range on a molecular level."

Ozpin's eyebrows shot up, "And you threw something like that at my students?!"

"My clones had already evacuated most of them!"

"There was still a team at the temple!"

"Which wasn't effected-"

"By luck!" Ozpin shouted over him. "You have admitted to using more power than you initially planned. What would have happened if there was just a little more? Barely a fraction? They would have died!"

"They would have been fine," Naruto argued. "I still had clones out there. They would have got the others out before anything bad happened."

Ozpin let out a breath as he leaned back. For a fox, the young man in front of him was quite bullheaded.

"Naruto, you're powerful, but you are mortal. You are just as human as I or anyone else on Remnant. And as us mortals are prone to do, you too are capable of mistakes. Maybe it could be a simple miscalculation, or a single part out of place, but with the power you had thrown around, that simple mistake could cost lives."

"I wouldn't-"

"Mean to," the headmaster finished for him. "But that would not change the fact that people would die. I'm not sure how durable people from your homeland are. Perhaps even your technique is considered standard."

"Granny said its forbidden, actually."

Ozpin took a deep breath. "The point is; The reflexes you have shown, the abilities you possess, we are not capable of that. Aura and Semblances enhance our capabilities, but they still pale in comparison. While I can not restrict your actions, I would ask that you put thought in how you go about using your strength. Especially in a classroom setting. That is if you still plan on being our Professors' aid."

Naruto nodded, "Yea. I said I'd help. Me and big sis Ann already have a few classes I'll be apart of."

_May the brothers watch over the unfortunate souls._

"**Best not to get your hopes up. They'll abandon them as they did the rest of humanity."**

Ozpin blinked. His tenant had said nothing this entire conversation, but a small joke had incited a reaction?

He shook it off, "Than please, do show some restraint. If in combat training, at least limit yourself to that of a trained huntsman."

"So, around your and Ozma's level?"

Ozpin, respected as a prodigy and youngest headmaster of Beacon Academy, reduced to an example of how _little _power to use...

"**We,"** Ozma corrected the headmaster. **"We have been reduced to such an example. You are still young, so it should not affect you as much. I, however, have honed my skills over millennia, and to know he's not bad-mouthing us, but asking an honest question, is quite the metaphorical blow."**

And it indeed was just an honest question.

"Yes, Naruto," the older man gritted out.

"Alright, I can do that," Naruto agreed, either not realizing or not caring for the broken ego of the man before him. "Anything else?"

"Unless you can somehow restore the Emerald Forest," he paused when the blond didn't deny it. "Can you?"

"Maybe?" Naruto asked himself more than told Ozpin. "I'd need to train and Sasuke's help."

"Than no, Mister Uzumaki. That will be all." Ozpin dismissed him.

As Naruto left, Ozpin turned to face the sunset. While he may not have meant too, or more likely, didn't care, the whiskered teen had given him more to think about. He was more than aware of the dimension-travelers' proficiency in destruction. A large chunk of the forest was gone due to the blond alone. Restoring something destroyed on a molecular level just wasn't possible. But Naruto believed it was possible with a little training and the aid of Sasuke Uchiha. Bringing something from nothing was not restoration.

It was creation. The domain of the gods.

While one being that balanced on the line of mortal and deity was in his care, the other was not. He was wandering across the land. If anyone were to ask, Ozpin would confess the answer to the question of '_What was Sasuke Uchiha doing now?' _worried him more than a little.

* * *

_Cold._

That was the thought in the mind of a young faunus girl. A greasy mop of shoulder-length black hair hung down, covering the girl's eyes. She brought her legs to her chest, the rags she had been forced to wear doing nothing to defend her from the chill of the night. She wasn't the only one, either. Faunus, women and children of varying ages, filled the back of the truck. Each tagged on their left ear.

The girl felt arms come around her and stiffened.

"It's okay," a gentle voice told her, soft and soothing, reminiscent of a parent.

_Mom._

Unknown to the woman who had covered the girl, using her body heat to protect the younger faunus from the unforgiving night, tears began to roll down her cheeks again. Why? Why had she been taken from her home? She just wanted to go back to her mom and dad. Echoing in her ears were the haunting cries of her mother as she was taken away. Her father's yells and threats as he fought against the monsters who separated them, and gunshots that rang when the girl couldn't see.

She bit back the want to cry out, her dark-skin littered with bruises from the times she had raised her voice. But her body continued to shake, as the older woman kept trying to comfort her. Quietly as not to earn the ire of their captors.

Over the woman's whispers, the howls of Grimm pierced through the darkness.

"Damn it!" she heard one of the humans say, an old and gruff voice. "They're on us again! What are those damned Hunters doing?!"

The truck shook as something slammed into it. The humans cursed again.

"Get them off us!"

Another human replied, his voice younger, more panicked, "How?! I've never fought Grimm!"

"Don't fight them, you idiot! Give them what they want."

There was hesitation in the younger man's voice, "But the boss-"

"-Will be more pissed if we come back with nothing! Get rid of the animal brats! They're not worth as much anyways."

It wasn't just her that whimpered at the old monster's words. Several of those on the truck was around her age, a single digit of years under them. Stripped from their families and soon, their lives.

A door opened, and the girl couldn't stop her head from moving in that direction. The monster looked at them, camouflaged in mortal skin, and dark clothes. A large gun strapped onto his body. She felt the woman's arms tighten around her, pulling her into the older faunus's side as if to hide her.

"Let me go!"

A small boy wailed, trying to pull out of the human's grip.

"No! Stop! I don't want to! Sto-"

Heedless of his despair, the curtains that separated them from the outside tore open as the boy was thrown out. Growls of beasts mixed with the anguished cries of the small sacrifice.

Once more, the monster took another child. One by one, screaming and crying, desperately attempting to pull away. Some of the older faunus, women of various ages, stepped in to defend them. Each was beaten down with the end of his gun.

Soon, it came down to hear. The howls of Grimm continued, though less than before. No doubt ripping into those gifted to them. Her eyes met his, even as the girl tried to shrink away. A body moved in front of her as the human approached.

"I won't let you!"

Her protector was rewarded with a hard blow to the face. The girl saw the woman's footing give way, just before she caught herself. Standing defiantly against the monster.

Another strike had the older faunus spitting blood, but still, she stood. A gunshot echoed through the small space as the woman finally buckled.

"What was that?!" The old human yelled.

"Just drive!"

Lifefluid poured from the woman's knee, but never once did she look away or cry out in pain.

"Tch. Stubborn animal."

Another shot was fired, and her left leg gave way. The girl could hear the woman's teeth grit.

"Don't damage the merchandise!"

The complaint went ignored, as the monster's hand gripped long crimson locks, pulling her face up to his.

"You're going to die, human," she spat.

From the emotionless monster's face, a grin split. A condescending smile. Looking down on the woman's threat.

"After you."

"Scarlett!" the girl yelled.

From the shock, she didn't have time to react as she too was thrown out of the truck. The girl fell onto the road of dirt and gravel. Her already bruised body taking even more of a beating from the hands of nature. Coming to a stop, she raised her head to see a sight of nightmares.

"Si... en... na..."

The woman, Scarlett, the mother-like figure she had during her captivation, stared at the girl, head bent back, neck in an unnatural position. Her left arm ripped off by the jaws of a Beowolf, as another tore into her chest. Fear overcame the girl, a scream of horror forcing its way from her throat.

Crimson eyes turned her way, blood dripping from the fangs of darkness. Together they howled, and she found herself paralyzed. She couldn't run, legs shaking and unable to keep her upright. Eyes widened as the Grimm crept closer. They didn't hurry. Was it because she wasn't running, or did they know that it would be useless even if she did.

Hot breath washed over her face. Her eyes closed shut as she thought back to her mom. Her dad. The moments Scarlett had stood in her defense. And those evil humans. More tears poured down her face. Angry, hateful tears.

The Beowolves snarled, and the girl's consciousness fled.

* * *

_Warm._

As the girl stirred, she pulled the covers around her. Sinking comfortably into the soft material. The mattress underneath her something she hadn't felt in months.

The young girl's eyes shot open, light from the window next to the head of her bed, blinding her. She fell back, head hitting the back wall as she rubbed yellow orbs. Blinking away the discomfort, the girl looked around. She found herself in a small room, another bed on the wall opposite her own, and a small table between them. Wooden walls, reminding her of the inns she had stayed in while traveling with her family.

She looked down herself, hoping to see red and black pajamas, to know that it was all a dream. A horrible, horrible dream. The reality was not that kind. The rags that had adorned her for the past many days covered her body. The door to the room opened, and she bristled.

In front of her stood a human, raven hair hanging down upfront but spiking near the back. He wore a black high-collared shirt and black pants, the left arm sleeve hanging there, empty. Her eyes met his mismatched orbs of onyx and violet.

"You're awake," he stated, moving closer.

She hissed at him, attempting to push herself to her feet but falling back onto the bed, her legs flaring up in pain.

The man looked unconcerned, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her eyes stayed on him as he moved closer, a tray in his hands. She wouldn't be fooled. Humans were monsters, and he was human. He sat the plate down and sat on the other bed. He watched her, expressionless. The smell of sausage, bacon, and eggs assaulted her nose. Her stomach growled.

"It's breakfast," he told her, scooting the food towards her. "Yours."

Distrust gave into hunger, as she began to try to push her legs over the edge over her bed. The man moved suddenly, and she leaned back, hands up, and ready to claw at him. She wouldn't go back. If Scarlett could stand up to them, so could she!

His actions betrayed her thoughts as he pushed the table closer to her, not noticing or just ignoring her previous actions. The girl settled a glare onto him, watching him for any more movements as he sat back. Without needing to move from her position, she dug into the food. Her glare never leaving him.

He didn't speak as she ate. Didn't bother to keep an eye on her. Choosing instead to take out his scroll.

Several moments passed between them in silence, setting her more on edge. He was a human. A monster. What was he planning?

Soon, she finished her meal. Never once did he speak to her. As she sat down the silverware, he stood up. Again, against her expectations, he didn't reach for her but the now empty plate. With it in hand, he began to leave.

"Why?" she whispered.

He stopped, the door hanging open, "Why what?"

"Why did you feed me?" she asked, her throat dry as the memories from the night prior rushed back, the feeling of the Beowolf's breath on her face. "Why did you save me?"

"Because I can."

And with that, he left. She wasn't sure what to make of that. Humans were monsters. They tore apart families. Ruined lives. But here was one that was different. He didn't ask for anything. Didn't look like he expected anything from her. And if she was here, in a soft bed, that meant he had killed the Grimm. Was he a huntsman?

If he was, had he been with them? The monsters that were moving them to their new cages? Was that why he had saved her? To take her back to them?

She struggled again to gain the use of her legs as pain surged through her. She had to escape. The girl bit her lip as she crawled on her bed towards the window. All she had to was open it, her gateway to the outside. Even broken as she was, she could getaway. She had to getaway.

The door to the room opened, and she fell from her bed.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't yell. Didn't even sound angry. But that was because the monster knew she couldn't escape. But she just had to. She wouldn't go back.

"Go back to where?"

Her mouth clicked shut. The girl, in her desperation, had spoken her thoughts aloud. She would be punished. But did it matter?

"I won't go back," the words came out as barely a whisper, but as she turned to face the human, the spirit not befitting her age raged within as it came out as a defiant roar. "I won't go back! You can't take me!"

"Take you back where?"

"To those monsters! You humans pretend to be friendly, but you're monsters!" her roar faded as the girl began to sob. "Why? Why us? We were just traveling. We didn't hurt anybody. So why did they shoot my dad? Why did they take me away from my mom?!" Little fist beat on the floor. "Why!? Why us?!" Tears streamed down her face. "Why me?"

There were footsteps outside, but no one made to enter the room of the sobbing girl and the huntsman. His footsteps mixed with theirs as he stepped to her and bent down. She attempted to growl, but all that came out was pitiful gargled sound. His arm made its way under her small frame, but she wasn't going to go without a fight. Teeth punctured the human's shoulder, the taste of iron filling her mouth.

But he didn't throw her. Didn't react at all. She dug deeper but still nothing. If only she was bigger. If only she was stronger...

He placed the girl on her bed, arm moving out from under but allowing the girl to keep him in the grip of her teeth, "I told you. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You lie!" She denied, releasing her hold on his flesh. "You're a human, and I'm a faunus. All you monsters do is hurt us!"

Her temper quelled under his gaze, but he still never moved to harm her, "I won't. You have my word."

She didn't believe him. Never would she believe another human. But her body gave out, the girl's head falling down on the pillow. Worn down, her body and her mind, she drifted off to sleep. She didn't know what would happen when she awoke next. If she'd still be on that bed, or if she'd be back in a cage. If she did, she'd get out. She'd fight back. For her mom. Her dad. For Scarlett and all the other faunus who those monsters had taken away.

Sienna Khan swore, as her mind drifted off, that she would fight.

* * *

**And there it is. The character reveal I've been excited for since the original version. Child Sienna Khan. Though, in the original, it wasn't as dark. This was a sudden decision. The sociopath thing was a joke, but I'm starting to think I have a problem.**

**One last piece of news. Due to some reasons that I won't get into, I'll be out of touch for a bit. I'll be setting my next update for four weeks. That will be the latest the next release will possibly be, and if I can get it out sooner, I will. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

**Next Chapter: April 30th**

**Until next time.**


	11. Cycle of Hatred

**Quick warning, this is the first draft. I had just finished writing it a few minutes before posting. Oj has probably gotten used to me running behind (patience of a saint) but I didn't have time to send it to him and get the chapter out on time. I'd like to say I have a good reason, but I was just working on plans for three other stories that I plan on uploading soon (well, one coming off hiatus) and neglected this chapter until the last minute.**

**And to quickly address the pairing thing. I understand pairings are important to people. I have my own favorites as well. But this is not a romance story. Honestly, I posted the pairings because, at the time, I thought that's what they were going to be. It was my mistake, and I shouldn't post pairings on non-Romance, non-pairing centric stories. At the same time, I hope you all will respect my decision as the author to do what I feel I need for my story. If you feel you can't continue reading because the pairing may not happen, I understand.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 11 - Cycle of Hatred**

* * *

The shattered moon hung high in the night sky. Cloaked in darkness, he leaped from tree to tree, heeding to the call of the beasts that howled in delight. They had found prey, and so too, had he. Emerging from the forest, Sasuke overlooked a dirt path, littered with Grimm and their meal. The negativity in the air flooded his system. The terror of the shadow beasts. The sorrow of their fate.

The anger at those who were responsible.

With a step, he vanished. Moonlight flashed off steel as a single-edged blade tore through the beast's torso. The object in its jaw fell, but the creature's surprise didn't last long as nearly three feet of metal ripped upwards, the creature splitting apart from its midsection to its head. A claw swiped from behind, missing by only inches as the Uchiha turned to his side. His sword swung in an arc, coming down one the Grimm's skull and severing it in half.

The shadows dispersed as Sasuke's eyes fell to the figure at his feet. Blood pooling around the body of what had once been a child. The frame small, dressed in rags, an animal tail of some kind, once white but now dyed red. Their neck showed no marks of being slashed through, but of fangs ripping off the child's head, which lay where the first Beowolf once stood. Whatever appearance they had lost.

Black fire lit up the defiled, burning them to ash. Leaving nothing more for the world to take. The shinobi moved forward, erasing the dark creatures and sending off the lost with Amaterasu's flames. Every scene different, but the result the same. Grimm feeding off the lives of damned, each gone before he made his appearance.

As he continued his onslaught, the scream of a girl further ahead had him moving faster. Between the Grimm, a small shape of another child could be made out. Space shifted, Sasuke's knee met the underside of the wolf's muzzle. In the air, the creature's hateful gaze caught the tip of the shinobi's blade just before it pierced between its eyes.

The creature's companion lunged at its unarmed foe. Sasuke caught beast the in his hand, implanting it into the ground, cracks forming on the road and dust rising up from the collision. As the dust settled, his thrown sword back in-hand despite him never moving to retrieve it, his eyes met emerald eyes of a scarlet haired woman. Face covered in tears and blood, expression twisted in despair.

Behind the dead woman laid the girl who had just escaped the reaper's scythe. Body limp, having passed out possibly from fear. He sheathed his weapon and moved to collect the girl, balancing her within his arm. An awkward fit, but he was more than capable of bearing her weight. As he began to walk away, he cast a side glance to the woman.

"The girl will be fine."

And he left, the woman igniting in the same black flames that had consumed others. If anyone had been able to see inside the blaze, they could have made out the ghost of a smile on the corpse's face.

* * *

As he walked into the room, different from the single bed room he had only a day earlier, he found twin pools of yellow staring back at him. A child with black matted down hair, and a desperate look in her eyes. But beneath that, there was something more. Something familiar.

"You're awake," Sasuke stated.

He knew she would be, having left to bring her food the moment she began to stir. Sasuke moved forward, tray in hand, he heard the girl hiss like a cornered cat. Hearing more than seeing her try to move, either to run or attack. It mattered little as she fell back on to the bed.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

If he was, then there would have been no point in rescuing her from the Grimm. He sat the tray on the table before taking place on his own bed. He heard her stomach growl just to see the girl staring at the meal Sasuke had placed in front of her.

"It's breakfast," he felt was obvious, considering he wasn't eating it. "Yours."

No matter how distrustful she was of him, the girl still needed to eat. She attempted to get to the table only for her to flinch from pain as she tried to work her legs. Getting her food would have been useless if she could only stare at it. With that thought, he moved the table closer to her bed, within reach, paying no attention to whatever the child was doing.

To give her reason not to mind him, Sasuke pulled his scroll from his pocket. A notification appeared on the screen;

_You have 1 new message from Naruto Uzumaki._

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. When he left, Sasuke thought most of their communication would be about important information. He wasn't sure what Naruto could find in Beacon, and was surprised the first time he had received a message barely a week afterward. Surprise gave way to annoyance as instead of anything useful, it was a picture of him grinning like the idiot he is. Four people older than himself but dressed in Beacon student uniforms, passed out behind him.

The caption reading; _First assistant teach role in Combat Class. Fourth years._

It never got much better from there. It was every few days, or once a week if the Uchiha was lucky, but a new picture depicting what the blond was doing. Making friends with another blond girl and a guy with rabbit ears. Pulling some stupid prank on a first-year Naruto had referred to as Qrow. Something about heels to match a skirt. Sasuke didn't know and didn't question it.

An eyebrow rose at the what his friend -and didn't that make him question his life choices- had sent him.

_I found this world's version of us!_

In it was a tanned blond throwing up a _V_ at the camera with a toothy grin. The guy beside him was the opposite. Hands in the pockets of his school uniform, mouth set in a frown, and red eyes trying to glare a hole through the lens in a vain hope of destroying it.

Before his thoughts could turn to the fact the guy he was being compared to was the one that had been tricked into wearing a skirt, the sound of silverware drew his gaze away from the scroll. Shoving the nonsense back into his pocket, he got up to take the tray back to the inn's kitchens.

"Why?"

It was barely louder than a whisper, but he caught it.

"Why what?" Sasuke asked the girl.

"Why did you feed me? Why did you save me?"

A good question. Why had he saved the girl? Why was he helping her? The only reason he had been there was that the howls of Beowolves were close to the village, and he had been promised payment for taking them out. This girl hadn't factored into any of that.

Words from not long ago echoed in his head, _"You care, Sasuke. In your own way."_

"Because I can."

He didn't wait for a response from the child. Didn't need one. The look in her eyes when he had walked into the room still nagged at the back of his mind.

"How is she?"

Sasuke came out of his thoughts at the voice of the innkeeper. A middle-aged woman with auburn hair put up in a bun.

"She's fine," he answered. "Wary, but alright."

The woman breathed out a sigh of relief, "That's good to hear. I wasn't sure what to think when you brought back a child last night. A slave no less."

That was right. The girl in his care was a slave. He knew from studies that in the Kingdoms, at least Vale, slavery had been outlawed. But outside the walls, in the was the law of the wild. The strong took what they wanted, and profited from the suffering of others. Sometimes Huntsman would get involved, but just the same, some would side with those they could benefit from the most.

Whether it be the Elemental Nations or Remnant, some things would always remain the same.

"Hey, don't look like that," the woman said, patting his arm. "I don't like it either, but you rescued her, right? Even removed her tag."

Sasuke calmed his expression, apparently his inner thoughts coming to surface, and nodded. He allowed the innkeeper to take the tray from his hand.

"You're a good person, Mister Uchiha," she told him as they parted ways.

For saving a child? No. He hadn't gone out of his way to save her. It just happened.

As he made it back to their shared room, Sasuke watched as the girl fell from her bed.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to escape," she said, more to herself than to him. "I won't go back."

"Go back to where?"

The child went silent, eyes wide as though surprised he had heard her. There was fear in them. Was she afraid of him? Or what she thought he was?

"I won't go back," she whispered again, before gaining confidence to yell. "I won't go back! You can't take me back!"

"Take you back where?"

"To those monsters!" Not as specific as he was hoping it would be. "You humans pretend to be friendly, but you're monsters!" Whatever second wind she had gained died as the girl began to cry. "Why? Why us? We were just traveling. We didn't hurt anybody. So why did they shoot my dad? Why did they take me away from my mom?!" Tears and fists hit the floor. "Why!? Why us?! Why me?"

_Why me?_

How many times had he asked himself that same question as a child? Right after his family had been taken from him. When he was left alone. Sasuke stepped towards the girl. She made some noise that had the faint sound of a growl, flinching away from him. He didn't mind it as he bent down and picked her up. He felt her teeth dig into his shoulder, puncturing through his skin. She felt like she was in danger, and was doing all she could to fight back. He wouldn't fault her for that.

As gently as he could, the Uchiha laid the girl on her bed, making no moves to rip his shoulder from her grip. He could have, but it would have done more harm than good for the girl.

"I told you. I'm not going to hurt you."

She opened her mouth, letting him pull back, "You lie! You're a human, and I'm a faunus. All you monsters do is hurt us!"

"I won't," he said, trying to convey his honesty through his eyes. "You have my word."

He could tell she didn't believe him. Even as she began to lose consciousness, the fear, the pain, the anger, it never left. For all she knew, she would fall asleep now just to wake back up in a nightmare. As her breathing evened out, the child's chest rising and falling as she slept, he wiped the blood from her lips.

There was still something there. Something was hidden behind the myriad of emotions the girl had shown. Something he knew he had seen before.

He left the room, cloak around him sword sheathed and attached to his hip. The hallway of the first floor had a few other patrons gathered around, whispering with eyes locked on his figure. The innkeeper must have been called due to the girl's uproar, as the woman came up to him.

"Miser Uchiha, what's going on."

"Keep an eye on her until I get back," Sasuke told her, signaling to his room as he stepped past.

She walked up behind him, placing a hand on his fresh wound, "You didn't answer me."

He turned his head, and the woman moved back. Was that fear? No. She wasn't afraid of him. He could tell. Maybe it was concern.

"Where are you going, Mister Uchiha?"

Another question he never answered as the Inn door closed behind him.

* * *

"Damn it all!"

Those were the words that greeted Sasuke as he returned to the dirt road from the night before. Black flames vanishing as he willed them away, leaving only ash where corpses once were. On the side of the road, emerging from the forest, was a man in slightly torn clothes. Metal armor covering the upper part of his chest and right shoulder, with shin guards and boots of the same material, and a large broadsword on his back.

"Bastards left me behind! Think if I die, they can get out of payin' me! Just wait until I find 'em."

The man, Huntsman, if Sasuke had to guess, continued to grumble as he stepped into the clearing. His mouth clicking shut as he looked up and down the road. Confusion gave way to understanding as the dirty blond Huntsman's eyes met the Uchiha's.

He nodded, "Your doin'?"

How had he jumped to that conclusion just from him being there? The man wasn't wrong, but if it wasn't, that'd make anyone wonder, wouldn't it? The Huntsman's right hand flexed, as if ready to move to draw his weapon if he had been wrong. So, that was it. If he was wrong, if he was questioned, the man would force him to stop wondering.

Sasuke nodded, unconcerned. He had, of course, burned the corpses. He didn't have a great understanding of the Grimm, and the books he had read were more theory than fact. They were attracted to negativity, sure, but what if they were like any other wild animal. They could be drawn to the scent of the dead as well.

"Clean up crew, huh?" The man relaxed. "Not one of the two I know from the team. Guessin' you're new."

He didn't confirm or deny the accusation.

"Silently broody type, bro? A bit outdated, don't ya think?" the Huntsman waved it off. "Whatever. If you're here, it means the product escaped or used as a distraction."

More slaves like the girl than. And if what the Huntsman said was true, those who had died to the Beowolves were a distraction so the rest could get away. He doubted children could escape when adults couldn't.

"So, where's your ride?" the man asked. "Had to hike here for the last couple of miles. After fightin' off some Grimm, the least these bastards could do is give me a ride back."

He hadn't come in any vehicle. What use were they when he could travel faster than them? They were loud, bulky pieces of metal. Case and point, the obnoxious sound of a horn from a truck coming up from behind them. The truck came to a stop before reaching the two, the doors opened up to reveal a man and woman dressed in odd black clothing more fit for a funeral than a mission.

The passenger, an older man with greying hair, looked down the road, "Boss said we'd find bodies, not ash."

"Does it matter? Makes our job easier," the woman answered. Younger by a few decades, violet eyes bored and uncaring. "You torch 'em, Hunter?"

Hunter? Really?

"That was all your new guy," Hunter told them, nodding towards Sasuke. They looked back at him.

The man in question could feel a sense of disappointment welling up inside him. He knew these were no shinobi but weren't these people a bit loose with information of something serious? Did they think so highly of themselves that they could take care of any problem that cropped up, or were they just that dumb?

"New guy, huh?" the woman questioned, "I don't remember adding anyone else to the payroll. What about you, Grey?"

Sasuke resisted the twitch. The naming sense of these people was ridiculous.

"I do not," Grey replied. "How much have you told him, Hunter?"

"Not much," the Huntsman shrugged, "Complained about being left behind with the Grimm. Thought he was one of ours and mentioned the product. Didn't seem surprised."

The woman cursed, drawing out two daggers, "Damn. And I thought this one was going to be easy."

Grey put a hand out, "Let's not be hasty. If he burned the bodies than maybe he's in the same business. Is that the case?" His last sentence directed to Sasuke.

He could lie. Tell them he was. But that could just as quickly place him in competition with these people. Getting what he wanted would take more time than he was honestly willing to spend.

"I'm not."

That answer had the other two drawing their weapons, the old man pulling a pistol from his side.

"Than what?" the woman asked, her daggers now dripping with some kind of liquid. Probably a poison. "You a bounty hunter?"

These idiots had bounties? From his pocket, the Uchiha drew out his scroll, moving his head to the side as a bullet passed just inches from his face. On it, he loaded up Vale's version of a bingo book, a database that held the names and images of all wanted criminals. The name Hunter had many hits, but none that looked the same as the Huntsman among them. Grey was the next check, the old man's face matching the name Grey Greyson. Shown to be in the company of his granddaughter-

Sasuke looked up to the woman, drawing a questioning eyebrow up.

"What?"

He flipped the device around, showing her picture and the name under it, _Candy_. He wasn't sure if she could actually see the small text, but she probably understood what he was hinting at.

She tsked, "Blame my idiot parents when you see 'em in the afterlife."

The woman pounced as her grandfather fired more shots, and Hunter charged in. A reckless attack from those who thought numbers equaled power. With a pulse from his Rinnegan, all three were pushed back, the two newcomers colliding with trees, and the Huntsman lost to the woods.

"What the abyss was that?" the woman, as he refused to call her by such a name, asked. Shaking her head as she stood back up.

"Semblance," Grey answered, as he too got back to his feet. "Huntsman trained no doubt."

More of them making their own assumptions.

"Put your weapons down, and you won't die."

The woman laughed, "Cocky, cause you have some badass semblance?"

She vanished from her spot, her next words coming beside his ear, "You're not the only-"

Her words stopped as she found herself in front of her target, his blade pierced through her stomach. Shocked gray eyes turned to his uncaring gaze before being tossed away. Her grandfather opened fire, each shot being sent off course when meeting his katana. Grey threw the pistol away, a gap in space opening up on each side the old man as he pulled out two rifles.

"Armory," he said in explanation. "A space accessible only to me with as many weapons as I need."

"I don't remember asking," Sasuke said behind Grey.

To caught off guard by his speed, he wasn't ready for the steel separating his head from his body. A look of confusion etched on his face. A dagger caught Sasuke's attention from the corner of his eye, bending away from the projectile.

"Monster," the woman coughed, her arm still outstretched. "You're a damn monster."

Sasuke let his blade fall, piercing into the ground and standing up straight. Holding out his hand, he called for the woman to come to him, forcing her movement with an invisible force. Before she reached him, Sasuke dodged out of the way from the recovered Huntsman, whose own sword impaled the woman.

Sasuke changed target to Hunter, whose eyes were fixated on the dying woman.

"If you answer me," he told the man, his throat in Sasuke's grasp, "I'll let you live."

The man spat to the side, failing to reach Sasuke's foot. "Rot in the abyss."

If that was his answer, then so be it. His Rinnegan pulsed again as the Uchiha called on an ability he had yet to use. The man's eyes rolled up into his head as a being of brown aura was removed from him. The physical body falling to the ground lifelessly.

Sasuke recoiled as memories assaulted him.

"_Are you going on the job again?" a woman asked. Brown hair falling pass her shoulder, hands placed on a bulging stomach. "Why do you go with these people? What are you even doing?"_

_Hunter waved her off, "It's nothing to worry about. I kill a few Grimm, help out where they ask. It's good money, and we need it."_

"_I don't trust them," she told him. "Something about them doesn't feel right."_

_He placed his arms around her, "It's fine. Just a few more jobs, and I won't have to bother with them again." He rubbed her back, "Then we'll only have to worry about being kept up all night."_

_The two laughed at his joke. He was soon to be a father. So what if what he did wasn't the best. They lived in a poor village, and he needed to support his family._

Another fragmented memory replaced the previous.

"_Mom! Dad!" the girl cried._

"_Sienna!" the man called, reaching for the girl that was being taken away. Thin and graceful, the animal attempted to claw his way through them. A failed attempt as one of Hunter's fellow hunters put a round through his chest._

"_Dad!" It was the girl again. What was taking them so long to get some animal brat on a damn truck?_

_The truck started up, as the beast's father climbed back to his feet. Blood running through his shirt._

"_Give me back my daughter!"_

_His charge was halted once again as more rounds pierced through him._

"Should've_ worried more about yourself," Hunter told the dying man. His sword leaning on his armored shoulder._

"_I.. I'll..." Whatever he was about to say had been lost to the void. The nearly pitiful moaning of the woman being dragged to another vehicle._

Still not what he was looking for.

_Hunter stood in the middle of a run-down building, young and nervous. He had been searching for a job since he found out his wife was pregnant, but in such a poor village, there wasn't much. Even jobs for Beacon graduates like himself were few and far between. Most that lived there protected the village for the good of the people. But being a good person wouldn't feed his family._

_That was when his friend had got in ahold of him. A teammate from his school days telling him about a group looking for bodyguards. Said the money was good, but he'd have to travel some. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing._

"_So, you're the new recruit?"_

_An older man spoke. In the background were three holo screens with shadowy figures, their forms making out that two were women while the other was a man. It was suspicious beyond doubt, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Hunter nodded._

"_I heard from one of our recruiters you are a Beacon graduate. Middle of the pack in your graduating class, but skilled none-the-less."_

_Again, he nodded._

"_While we would be happy to accept you as a guard, we must ask. What reasons do you have for wanting to take on the position?"_

_He swallowed, "Out here, there's not much work. My wife is pregnant, and I can't support all three of us. I heard this job could pay enough to where I could even find a place behind Vale's walls."_

"_We can pay you that and more," the man confirmed. "But, you may be asked to do more than what is in the job description."_

"I'll_ do anything."_

_Even in the dark room, he could see the man smile. "That's good to hear, Mister Brown. Grey, Candy. Please run our newest member through his job details."_

_From behind him, two people emerged from the shadows. He resisted the urge to ask about the woman's name._

_As the holo screen shut off, the man who had been speaking to him spoke once more._

"_Welcome to Lost Eden."_

* * *

Sienna awoke to the sound of knocking.

"Miss, your dinner is ready."

Dinner? Sitting up with a yawn, arms stretching above her head. She took the room in, confused at first, and then remembering what had happened earlier. The human with mismatched eyes bringing her breakfast. Her biting into him. Sienna wondered why she was still in the room and not caged after attacking him.

"_I told you. I'm not going to hurt you."_

She shook the memory away. That didn't mean anything. Maybe the only reason the man hadn't done anything was that they were in a public place. He couldn't risk drawing attention to himself.

Another knock on the door, "Miss, are you awake."

Throwing her legs over the bedside, Sienna went to stand. Her legs that were in pain earlier felt fine. A little numb, making her a bit unsteady, but much better than they were before. Had that human healed her? No. That was a stupid thought. Why would he do such a thing?

Slowly she maneuvered around the table and to the door. Cracking it open to let artificial light into the room lit up only by the evening sun.

"Good evening," the woman in front of her door greeted, holding a tray in her hands. "I've brought your dinner."

Sienna looked at the food before her. Some kind of stew that caused her stomach to rumble, two rolls on, and a glass of water. She hesitated for a moment longer, before her stomach growled again. The door opened a little wider, smaller hands taking the tray from the woman. The two stood there for a moment, Sienna watching the woman who was waiting for something.

"Um..." the silence was uncomfortable, and Sienna wasn't sure if shutting the door in her face would end up having her meal taken away. "Thank you?"

The woman smiled at her, "You're welcome. I'll be back in a little while to collect your tray."

And with that, the woman walked away. Sienna breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door. That woman had felt different from the man before. Less dangerous. Placing her tray on the table and pulling herself back up on the bed, the girl noted how empty the room was. Where there once was a traveling cloak and a sword, now was just an empty bed.

Had he... Had he left her? Was this her chance to get away. Sienna took a bite of bread, looking out the window. On the first floor, and her route of escape before her, it would be easy to get away. But would they come after her? They offered food and warmth now, but what if she left and they had to hunt her down?

But did it matter? This was probably wouldn't last anyway. That man could come through the door at anytime and take her away. If it was going to happen, she'd rather try her luck out in the woods. Even dealing with Grimm would be better than going back to that.

Drinking down her last bit of water, Sienna made up her mind. She was leaving.

* * *

His pace getting back to the inn was slow. The nausea from taking in the memories of another person still taking its toll. Pushing his Rinnegan could have adverse effects, but he didn't think the Human Path would cause him to fall ill.

As he entered the inn, wanting little more than to lie down, he was met with the innkeeper.

"She's gone!"

Gone? Who was gone? The question must have shown on his face as the woman answered his thought.

"The girl you rescued!"

_Sienna._

That was her name. He had seen how she was ripped from her family. How her father died fighting against the abductors. It was impossible for those people, Lost Eden, to know she had been saved from her fate. But even more unlikely that she would leave on her own. Her legs should be damaged. Not so much that they wouldn't heal over time, but not fast enough that she could just get up and leave.

Did she have Aura? No, that couldn't be possible. If that was the case, she wouldn't have been as injured. He'd read that there were rare cases of Aura unlocking when in distress. Had that happened?

"How?"

"Through the window. I went to collect her dinner tray, the window was open, and she was gone."

Just like how she had tried to leave that morning. So, her legs were good enough to run.

"Aren't you going after her?"

Was he? He had intended to gather what he could about those who took her, then handing her over to Ozpin to get her to her family. But with her father dead and mother captured as well, it would have been best for her to make a new life somewhere else. He remembered her eyes, and the nagging feeling he had felt earlier reared its ugly head.

"_I understand that you're suffering."_

He grit his teeth. _Damnit Naruto._

Without a word to the woman, he was gone again. Head spinning as he raced through the woods behind the inn, with the setting sun on his back.

"_Just like me, you were alone."_

Was that what was bothering him? Was that the familiar feeling? They had both been robbed of their family. Both left alone. That look in her eyes. He knew what it was. He couldn't place it before, but he understood.

Just barely ahead of him, Sienna sat. Back against the trunk of a tree and panting. For someone whose legs had barely held her weight earlier, she had made it a good distance. He came to a stop before her, watching as yellow orbs widened in fear. She was on her feet again, eyes looking for any escape she could manage.

"I won't go back!" she yelled hysterically. "You can't take me back!"

"I can," he told her. She froze. They both knew he was more than capable of handling the small girl. "But I won't."

"What? Why?"

"Because I gain nothing," he told her honestly. "If I was going to give you back to slavers, I wouldn't have removed your tag."

Checking if it was true, she drew her left ear. Where there once was a loop earing bearing her number, was a small hole.

"If I was going to kill you, I would have left you to the Grimm."

The words began to sink in, "Th-Then what... What are you going to do?"

"That depends on what you want to do," he told her. "I'll give you two choices. I can get you a new home. A place where you'll never have to worry about those people again."

Sasuke watched for her to react. A nod or acceptance for the easy path. She didn't give it. She didn't deny the option, but she didn't really consider it. There was something beneath the surface. Something below the fear. A kind of hunger.

"Or you can go with me, and I'll get you back to your mother."

That got a reaction, her eyes widen in hope. "How... How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't," and she was back on guard. "I could easily be lying to you. Either choice could be a lie. It comes down to if you're willing to trust me."

"What... What about them?" she swallowed. "The people who took me... Who shot my dad."

Did she want to believe him? Or was she desperate? The hunger seemed to grow. The need.

"What do you want to do to them?"

Panic and trust were erased as her mind was set. A child with eyes sharp as steel. Eyes that he had seen in his own reflection. Eyes that spoke with the desire for one thing and one thing alone.

"I want them to die."

The desire for revenge.

* * *

**Turns out Sasuke didn't want Candy... I wonder if I'm the only one that will get that? At the beginning when Sasuke spoke to Scarlett; From what I've looked up, the brain still functions three minutes after death. Hearing is the last sense to go, so I had him reassure the dying/dead woman Sienna would be fine. Kinda iffy, but I like it.**

**Next Chapter: May 7th**

**Until next time.**


	12. The Uchiha and the Cub

**I was late again getting this chapter done, so it hasn't been checked. Sorry about that. Also, a few quick things I want to lay to rest.**

**Naruto/Summer pairing being taken down was due to poor planning. I'm not sure if I'm more insulted by the baiting accusations, the assumptions that I'm too inept at understanding people not to know Naruto/Harem would have net me more views, or people thinking I'm too stupid to comprehend that baiting is a short-term gain with long-term consequences that simply aren't worth the trouble?**

**Naruto tag isn't bait, and he isn't a side character. To quote SandaKagami's review "...we are following two stories occurring in parallel." The most people can complain is that Naruto has to share screen time with nine other characters (Team STRQ, GGRO, and Ozpin) while Sasuke, at the moment, only has to share with Sienna.**

**And leaving the Sasuke/Kali pairing up hasn't undermined what I said at all. My words were I shouldn't have posted pairing on a non-pairing centric story. I stand by that and for now on, I won't. But for this story, I have. And the only reason Naruto/Summer was taken down was that I'm no longer 100% sure I can make it work.**

**I'm confident that the vast majority of my readers understand this already, but this is for the minority, specifically guests, that don't. Though, if the lack of responses from my accusers I PMed to defend myself is anything to go by, they too might not care. But at least I can say I tried.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 12 - The Uchiha and the Cub**

* * *

A small foot touched the forest ground. Toes first, then the heel, making sure to keep her weight on her back leg. Like that, she continued her hunt, keeping close to the ground and constantly reminding herself how to move. Silently tracking through the woods as she had been taught. Within her sight, the white fur of her prey could be seen. Not noticing the predator approaching.

From the sheath attached to her right leg, the onyx color blending in with her pants, she drew one of her six throwing knives. The black blade, six inches in length, held the way she was taught. Eyes closed as she took in a deep breath, drowning out everything else around her. Yellow orbs shot open as she whipped her arm forward, exhaling as the blade left her grip.

And soared over the rabbit.

Sienna cursed as her startled target began to flee. All thoughts of stealth were washed away as she charged after the animal. Drawing another knife as she ran, it too missed the mark. Frustration bubbled in her, as Sienna kept chasing what would be dinner, always keeping the rabbit in her line of sight. Knife after knife flew through the air, each missing by a hair and making their home in the ground.

Before she could release her last, the rabbit stopped. A blade, not her own sticking out of its downed body. The girl looked around, before casting her gaze upwards. On a branch stood the one she had been traveling with for the past two weeks. Who had also been training her during that time.

"Don't aim for where your target is, but where it's going," Sasuke told her, as his feet hit the ground. Kneeling down, he removed his own knife from the carcass. "Gather your tools and come back to camp."

Sienna watched as his back slowly disappeared from sight, rabbit in hand. She bit her lip as her hands shook from frustration. She had been close. Just a little more and she would have had it. Mumbled curses continued to flow out of her mouth as she picked up her knives, making sure to wipe the dirt off before sheathing them.

Why did she need to learn how to throw knives anyways? Didn't most hunters use guns? Or even a bow? What was the point in using these stupid little blades? With her last knife in hand, the girl noticed a falling leaf.

She let her blade fly, keeping what Sasuke had said in mind. The knife embedded itself into the trunk of a tree...

And the leaf fell to the ground, her weapon having gone underneath it.

Sienna screamed her fury. She didn't care how long it took, she would hit one damn LEAF!

* * *

The morning came much too early for Sienna's liking. When she had finally returned back to camp the night prior, the sun had already began to set. Her face had been smudged with dirt, her hair littered with twigs and leaves. Sasuke hadn't questioned what had taken her so long or what she had been doing. Just telling her to eat and get ready to sleep.

Now, with the sun barely awake itself, she walked beside her temporary guardian. She was sore from the training and travel the day before, but he, who didn't even look close to her parents' age, seemed unaffected.

The thought of her parents brought how different traveling with this man was. Where her mom and dad would talk just to pass the time, throwing some jokes in to make her laugh, Sasuke was quiet. Where her mom would worry if the girl had been away from the camp for too long, he barely blinked an eye. If they had been traveling a while, and her feet would begin to ache, her father would carry Sienna on his back.

Sasuke expected her to keep up.

Not for the first time since she started traveling with him had she spotted these differences. But above all the complaints about being tired. The lack of care for her safety. It was lonely. Sienna wasn't sure what she expected when he offered to help her. She hadn't trusted him, but she couldn't do it alone. And maybe, she had hoped, being with someone else would have been better than being alone.

Sienna knew he wasn't there to care about her well being. He made a promise and intended to keep it. Sasuke continued to lead them forward, sure of where he was going. He had trained her, a child with no fighting experience and no past desire to fight. But then the question that would haunt her on occasion; was Sasuke strong?

Not once since their travel had they ran into Grimm or bandits. She had yet to see him actually fight, or show more than the ability to sneak around. So, would he even be able to help her get back to her family? Had she put her faith in someone that was all talk? Sienna shook those thoughts off. It was too late for doubts. When she had taken his hand back then, led back to their shared room and given food and weapons, her fate was entwined with his. At least until she found her mom.

As the two walked on, the sun had risen higher in the sky, and the cool morning air gave way to summer heat. Just another day. Soon they would find another place to rest, under the shade of one of the many trees that surrounded them. Maybe a bit of hand-to-hand training, lunch, and then back on the road. At least, that's what would have happened if the dirt they had been walking on became stone, and buildings could be seen in the distance.

The girl couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. This had been the first time they had came upon a village since the two set out, and Sienna couldn't wait to finally relax. No camping out or hunting for food, and no cold river baths. Tonight, she would soak in a hot bath and sleep on an almost comfortable mattress. Compared to the sleeping bag, it would be paradise.

The two made their way down the road, the human and faunus mixed people paying them no mind as they carried on with their day. Adults with vegetables in hand stopping to speak with one another, and children close to Sienna's age playing outside the homes that were scattered here and there.

Soon, they found themselves in front of a large, three-story building. Painted tan with dark brown trim. Over the door hung a wooden sign with the word 'Inn' carved into it. Sasuke pushed the door open, the bell above chiming their arrival. The two stepped inside, greeted by the sight of round tables spread out across the floor, some empty but others dining and laughing. Overlooking the customers was a burly man with a bald head standing behind a wooden counter.

Sienna followed behind Sasuke as he made his way to the man, not minding the intimidating older man. She didn't either. And if anyone said that she had hidden her body behind her guardian's, they were lying.

"Wha' can I do for ya?" the man asked with a gruff voice.

"One room, two beds for two nights."

Two nights?! Sienna didn't know if she heard that right, but she wasn't about to question it.

"Two-hundred lien. Extra ten for each meal you have here."

Money wasn't something she was great with, but Sienna knew enough math to know that was a big number. And Sasuke was a wanderer, at least, that was her impression. He probably didn't have a lot of money. Maybe enough for the room, but they would have to get their meals outside the village.

Sasuke dug into the pouch he kept on his side, fishing out multiple colored cards and handing them to the older man, who took a quick count.

"Three-twenty for one room and six meals for both of ye," the man said, shocking Sienna. Sasuke had money?! When? How?! While she was questioning the lien she didn't know even existed, the keeper handed Sasuke a key with a tag numbered three-zero-five. "Take the stairs all the way up, and the room will be on your left."

Sienna watched her raven-haired caretaker nod his thanks, leading her towards the staircase at the opposite end of the inn's entrance. Up two flights of stairs and to the third door on their left, the key turned to give them access to a nice, if a little small, room with two one-person beds and single nightstand between them. Mostly empty, but that was fine as long as the beds were soft.

As she collapsed on the one on the left, Sienna was happy to note that they were.

"Leave your bag and come on," Sasuke said, snapping her out of her bliss. "We'll have lunch and work on your training."

Sienna had her goals. Finding her mom was at the top of the list, with killing the ones responsible for her situation a very close second. She followed Sasuke for that reason and that reason alone. Learning what she could and following what he said, not once letting out a single complaint. But this time, she felt a small whine could be accepted.

"But... But... Bed?" was the best she could get out, muffled from the pillow she was using to try to hide from her teacher.

If his voice was anything to go by, he was not impressed. "Yes, it's a bed. And it will be here when you get back."

He didn't command her to get up or to leave the room, but the finality of the conversation was there. There was no room for argument, and with another tired whine, Sienna got up from her bed.

And as she reluctantly left the room after him, she vowed to land at least one punch to his face.

* * *

"Why. Won't. You. Stand. Still?!"

The Uchiha continued to dodge away from each fist thrown, all aimed at his face for some reason.

"Your enemy won't stay still and wait for you," he told her.

Nor would they not fight back. As the girl over-extended her arm, he grabbed her wrist, throwing her away from him. He watched as Sienna's back hit the ground, aura flashing as it took the brunt of the impact, and the girl flipped back on to her feet. Crouched down, legs spread apart, and both hands planted on the grassy field. Amber eyes bore into him. Circular pupils becoming vertical slits as a growl escaped her lips.

In an instant, she was back on him. More ferocious than the previous time. While not fast by a shinobi's standard, the girl had crossed the distance between them more quickly than her small body should have been capable of. Her attack pattern becoming more erratic and vicious. Sasuke had seen this a few times since training her. If she became frustrated, this behavior would leak out. Her hands no longer in fists, but fingers curved as she swiped at him.

Dodged again, she spun on her heel, left leg coming around to catch the Uchiha on his side, which he blocked. Unperturbed, Sienna swung her right leg, and with it, her right arm with a knife in hand. Bending back from the blade that was aimed at his throat, he caught the girl's right leg and tossed her away once more.

He watched the girl as she skidded across the grass and dirt, aura flaring before giving way, signaling the end of their training. As Sienna laid on the ground, soaked in sweat, chest rising and falling and falling as she gasped for breath, Sasuke could say he was somewhat impressed. She was nowhere near a genin's level, but in two short weeks, the girl had improved in leaps and bounds from where she started. Which was from nothing.

Even the day before, he had watched her climb up trees to knock down leaves just to practice knife throwing. Not great for practicing against moving targets, but it was inventive. In a way, it reminded him of himself and Naruto and their stubbornness at the tree climbing practice. And like in their fight just now, Sienna would get frustrated more and more. But then, why hadn't she shown the same ferocious behavior as she did against him?

He could guess it was her semblance, some kind of improvement to her physical abilities. Still, it only activated at certain times and only ever during their training sessions. What was the trigger?

A groan took him from his thoughts and to the child attempting to stand, only to give up halfway and fall back. They had been here for several hours, and no matter how absurd her improvement was, Sienna was still an average child in the end. Not a shinobi or even a future huntress, just a kid that had her simple life stripped away.

Sasuke moved over to the downed girl, picking up her no doubt sore body, her eyes widening in surprise before leaning into his shoulder. In silence, he walked back to the inn.

* * *

It was the pounding on their room's door that had awoken the shinobi. Well, the first three. It was the half-dozen or so afterward that had Sasuke wanting to pierce the wood and whoever was on the other side. Sasuke stood up from bed, his baggy dark blue shirt falling down his exposed abdomen. He swung the door open, staring down the bald man, Bairre, who was responsible for the racket.

"What?"

Behind Bairre, two rooms opened, and their occupants left in a hurry.

"There's been a Grimm sightin'," the man told Sasuke.

That was all this was? His thoughts must have shown from his expression.

"It's not just some Beowolves and Ursa. We may not have Hunters, but we wouldn' have survived this long if some of us couldn' fight. It's Goliaths. A herd of 'em heading for this village."

Goliaths? That didn't seem right. From what he remembered reading, those Grimm were more intelligent than the average, most living for hundreds of years and never traveled to far away from the Kingdoms. If it was an entire herd, why would they be away from the borders to such a small village?

"Get it now?" Bairre asked. "Even Hunters would have a problem with these things. The village guards hav' formed an escort group to get people out."

Sasuke looked back to the occupied bed. Sienna snored away, covers kicked away, and a sprawled out at odd angles, but it didn't seem to bother her. He could wake her up now, and depart from the village. The girl may mumble some complaints, but she'd follow his instructions. She had been working hard, and whether she noticed it or not, her endurance had improved slightly from when they first started.

But Sasuke wasn't blind. The girl was tired. He had been pushing her hard for her betterment, but she was still just a child. Sienna had worked hard, did she not deserve some rest?

Sasuke sighed, walking back to grab his sword from the foot of his bed and leaving the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Wha' are ya' doin'?!" the man questioned. "You're not goin' to just leave her for the Grimm, are ya'?!"

"Quiet," the shinobi commanded. Bairre's jaw slammed shut. "I'm going to take care of it."

With that, he descended the stairs and left the inn. Rain poured down on the villagers that were quickly gathering together to make their escape. Lightning struck in the distance and thunder canceled out the shouts of guards calling for Sasuke to stop. A large hand grabbed his shoulder, and it was with pure force of will that the shinobi didn't cut the offending limb off.

"What do ya' mean you'll take care of it?!" Bairre roared over the storm. "These are Goliaths! What could you possibly do on yer own?"

Sasuke shook the man off and continued his walk out of the village. He could barely make out the man yell out a curse, but it mattered little. The ground shook as the large Grimm made their appearance. Due to their size, even from so far out, they were easy to see. And they were numerous. As the herd of darkness got closer, the Goliath that lead the others noticed him. Recognized him. An angry roar resounded and echoed as the others mimicked the sound.

Was it possible that it wasn't the village they were after, but him? If that was true, the question became, why? The most interaction he had with Grimm in the last few weeks were using his abilities to keep them away from their camp. And the Goliaths had not been in the area at any point.

At the sight of him, they began to charge. Sasuke could hear panicked yelling behind him, but it was all static. He raised his sole hand up, electricity chirping from his palm. The lightning above dancing in sync with his will. The people of Remnant may fear these creatures, but to him, they were only an eyesore.

"Disappear with the thunder."

A beast of lightning descended from the heavens, engulfing the rampaging Goliaths and illuminating the stormy night with a bright flash. As soon as it began, it was over. Where great beasts once stood was now vacant. Storm clouds cleared up, revealing the shattered moon in the night sky.

Sasuke turned to walk back to the inn, hist thoughts drifting towards changing out of his wet clothes and getting back to bed. He didn't give the innkeeper, the guard with him, or those standing at the village's border who eyed him in wonder any thought.

* * *

It had been several days since they left Oakenforest Village, and Sienna could honestly say she was still confused. When she the next morning and headed down for breakfast, she was greeted with a much larger meal than lunch and dinner had been the day before. Sausage, bacon, eggs, biscuits, and gravy. All stacked up in more than one serving of each. She had thought it was supposed to be part of Sasuke's share as well, but the server, a lady around Sasuke's age, had placed a plate in front of him with just as much food.

She also gave him that look Sienna's mom would give her dad right before saying they needed to have a private talk.

Sasuke didn't make any mention of the odd behavior, so Sienna didn't question it. It was never good to look a gift-horse in the mouth, after all. But the weirdness didn't end there. Every meal after was just the same, and though it was more than what the other guests had, no one complained. Many people called out to her guardian when they walked the streets, even children her age getting excited as he approached.

He never gave much more than a "Hn" to acknowledge their existence, but that didn't seem to bother them.

When they left, old man Bairre had even returned the money Sasuke had paid for the room and meals, saying that their stay would always be free if they were to come back. Guards thanked Sasuke for his work with a pat on a back, and an attempt to wrestle out a promise to share a drink if he ever came back. The most they got in return was a, "Do whatever you want."

The last to bid them farewell was a faunus woman only slightly older than the inn's server. Holding a bag of fruits and vegetables, she persistently thrust into Sasuke's hand with her tail wagging happily behind her. Even going so far as to push her body into his. Was she afraid he would drop it?

Once it was just them, Sienna had asked what had happened, and why the villagers were acting like that. He told her it wasn't important, but even now, snacking on a handful of blackberries from the ice-dust infused bag, she didn't believe it for a second.

So engrossed in her thought, Sienna didn't notice when Sasuke had stopped walking, colliding with his body and holding on to her snack for dear life. She stepped out of his shadow to see a horrible sight of a destroyed village. Homes laid to waste and debris scattered here and there. Some looked to have been shifted, like people were searching for others, but left to litter the streets. One thing that stuck out was the white pillars that stood upright.

"What happened?" she asked aloud.

As usual, Sasuke said nothing, moving through the ruins as if searching for something. High and low, his eyes traveled. Looking at him, she noted that his once onyx eye had turned red with black sclera. A chill went down her back, and she reflexively took a step away from him. She shook her head. No, she didn't need to be afraid of him. She wasn't sure if he was all that concerned about her well being, but at the very least, he wouldn't harm her.

Sienna's ears perked up as Sasuke mumbled, "Not here."

Not here? What wasn't here? Before she had the chance to ask the question, he had already begun trekking through the destroyed forest. Quickly she followed after him. It didn't take long for the two to reach a large crater. Had this always been here? Or did it have something to do with the loss of the village behind them?

Sasuke didn't stop, choosing to jump down, and neither did she. Turning her feet to the sides in an attempt to not fall into the muddy landscape, the girl slowly made her way down onto flat land. Her feet heavy from the build-up of mud on her shoes. A few feet away, Sasuke stared into nothing, though she still heard him say, "Is this..."

Was there something there that only he could see? Or had he finally cracked and gone crazy? She received no answer as Sasuke grabbed his head, letting out a cry of pain she had never heard before.

Sienna ran to his bent over the figure. "What's wrong?!"

He didn't answer her, but Sienna was able to see his face and the blood running down his eyes. She fell back, scared. Why? Why was he bleeding? What was she supposed to do? What could she do? His breathing became harsh as he fell to his knees. She needed to get help. Sienna turned around, attempting to run up the way she had come down. The surface too slick kept sliding her back.

She tried jumping through the sludge, attempted to dig her hands into the mud, and climb up. Each time was met with the same result of falling back down. Her heart began to beat faster as the horror began to set in. Sasuke had fallen, face caked in mud, and she was stranded. What if he had died? Would she die too?

"Help!" she cried. "Help!"

Sienna continued to call. Even as her throat became sore and voice hoarse.

"I'm on my way!" a woman shouted back.

Excitement bubbled up inside the girl. Someone had heard her. She ran over to her guardian. Blood stained his face, and his consciousness was lost.

"Hey, I'm he- Is he alright?!" it was the woman who had answered her call.

"I don't know!" Sienna cried, looking up to the woman. "He was fine, but then he just-"

The girl cut off as she took in the woman's appearance. Clothed in white and black, metallic plates covering her hips and shoulders with a yellow sash tied around her waist. What caught Sienna's breath was the emerald eyes and the wild mane of brilliant red hair.

"S-Scarlett?"

* * *

**Until next time.**


	13. The Menagerie Guard

**I'm back from whatever hole I crawl into when I disappear for long periods of time. And I brought with me a new chapter! A short note before we get started. A few people mentioned in the reviews about what Sasuke says when using Kirin. I PMed those few, but it's something I should've put at the end of the last chapter. Disappear with the thunder came from an online translation of the Naruto manga, neither the dubbed nor subbed anime.**

**Beta:** OjOrangejuiceofthewild

**Cover Art:** thefairyspriggan

**Chapter 13 - The Menagerie Guard**

* * *

Scarlett. That was what the girl had called her. The woman wasn't sure if that was what shocked her, or the expression on her face. Eyes wide and teary, though the tears could be for why she had been shouting. Her skin had drained of color, and the girl's body was shaking silently. Almost as if she was afraid of the woman that had come to her rescue.

She wanted to ask what the girl knew. Why she had reacted like that, and how she knew her sister's name. But there were more pressing matters at the moment. Mostly, the man passed out in the mud and bleeding out.

"Leona?!" the familiar voice of her second-in-command called.

"Down here," she yelled back. The girl in front of her snapped out of whatever she had been thinking. She took Leona by the arm and pulled her closer to the man.

"Help him!" she pleaded.

Without a word, Leona knelt to the prone form, turning his body face up. Despite the mud coating, it wasn't hard to see the pained grimace on his face. Blood flowing like tears down both his eyes. The constant raising of his chest proved he was alive, at least.

"What happened?" she questioned the child that stood panicking next to her.

"I – I don't know," the child said.

Leona pried open the young man's right eye open with her thumb and forefinger, revealing an onyx colored orb with no damage. "What was he doing before he ended up like this?

"Um, looking for something?"

Leona turned to face the girl, eyebrow raised. She decided not to point out that there was nothing but mud and the crater's surrounding earthen walls.

"I'm not lying!" the girl defended. "He was standing there, talking to himself. Then his eyes changed colors, and he started screaming before he fell!"

Eyes changed colors? The woman worked open the unconscious man's left eye, violet with a ripple pattern, unlike his right. Was it a semblance? Could the reason he had passed out be because of a backlash?

But what could he have seen or done that would cause him to have such a poor reaction?

Before she could think anymore on it, the sound of armor shuffling and feet tracking through the mud came from behind her. Turning, the first person Leona saw was Kali, the one who had shouted for her before. Raven hair falling to her shoulders with cat ears atop her head, wearing the same armor as herself and their people. Next to her was a man, standing a few inches taller than Kali, matching Leona's height at around six foot. His dog tail held high, swishing back and forth—a helmet revealing nothing more than a scarred face set with an ever-present frown.

"What were you thinking, running off on your own?" Kali scolded.

Leona waved a hand towards the child, "That someone needed help."

"And alone, _you_ could've needed help!"

"Yes, because a kid is such a dangerous foe," Leona quipped. "You and Bernard were right behind me. There wouldn't have been an issue."

Kali said something under her breath, but let it go for now. Leona had no doubt she was in for another lecture once they had set up camp for the evening and was away from everyone else.

"This your doing?" Bernard's gruff voice stealing their attention as he kicked the unconscious young man. His right hand settled on the hilt of his blade.

"No," she gave him a pointed look. "He's the one that needs our help."

The man sneered, "Help a human?" He looked over to the girl. A faunus with a hole in her right feline ear, where they all were used to seeing a slave tag. His attention turned back to the unconscious man. "We should just get the brat to Menagerie and leave this guy to die."

"Bernard!"

"No!"

Kali and the girl spoke up simultaneously, but Leona noticed that it was the child that drew a weapon. A knife from a holster attached to her leg. Kali placed a hand on the girl's head, a reassuring pat to calm her down, while she leveled Bernard with a cold glare.

"Bernard, let everyone know we're setting up camp," Kali commanded.

"This early in the day? It's because of this damned hum-"

Kali's voice turned to steel, "You have your orders, Bernard."

The canine faunus's mouth clicked shut, wordlessly turning on the spot and leaving the four. Leona could only hope the climb back up through the muck would cool his head. The girl watched him go and put her weapon back when she felt he was far enough away.

"Sorry about him," Kali told her, kneeling eye level to the girl. "He's not usually like that, just..."

"That Sasuke's human?" The girl finished, naming the man Leona had been looking over. "Sasuke's not a bad human."

"I'm sure he's not," Kali comforted.

"He's not. He saved me."

A Huntsman, then? A bit young to have graduated from any of the Academies, so a mentorship?

"Saved you?" Kali wondered. "What about your family?"

The girl shook her head, "Dad protected mom and me, but they – they shot him." Shot him? Grimm didn't use guns, and with the hole in her ear, the scarlet haired woman could guess who it was. Monsters worse than Grimm.

"And then they took mom and me. We were separated." the child continued, choking on her words. "Grimm attacked the people who took us, and those monsters threw the kids out to distract them. Scarlett wouldn't let them take me."

"Where is she?" Leona interrupted, turning to the girl with her hands on the child's shoulders. "Where is Scarlett now?"

The girl turned her head, eyes cast down, "Gone. They shot her and kicked her out of the truck. When they threw me out next, she was-" the girl's voice cracked. "She was being eaten by the Grimm."

Leona's heart sank. Her sister, the reason she was here, was gone.

"I'm sorry." The woman tried to mask her emotions, but could this girl read her? Or did she understand because of her and Scarlett's resemblance? Leona smiled at the child.

"What's your name?"

"Sienna."

Leona placed her arms underneath Sasuke's body, lifting him in a bridal carry. "My name's Leona," she told Sienna. "Leona Sorrel. Twin sister of Scarlett Sorrel. Why don't we get you and Sasuke here back up to our camp, and I'll tell you some embarrassing stories of my sister when we were young?"

* * *

Darkness covered everything he could see in all directions. He couldn't even tell where was up and what was down, his feet hitting nothing solid. An endless void. How had he got here? The last thing he could remember was finding -something- where he and Naruto had fought. He could remember testing it, pulling at it with the power of his Rinnegan. And then-

Pain.

Sasuke could still feel its echo behind his eyes, piercing him, yet barely a fraction of what it had been. But had he done it? Had he opened up a path to Elemental Nations?

"**You... Should not be here."**

A young boy's voice resounded through the void.

"Where is here?" Sasuke called back.

**"This is the dimensional void, the connection between worlds. You could consider it as the path back to your home," **he affirmed Sasuke's inner suspicions. **"One you should not have access to until you have corrected the mistakes of my children. A task I can not undertake."**

"I don't give a damn what you want-"

"**You should, Sasuke Uchiha." **the boy interrupted. **"It is I that holds this dying world together. To stop the world from bleeding into other dimensions. And it is only with my power that Naruto Uzumaki and yourself may return to your home."**

The Uchiha scoffed, "I've already torn through your _power_."

"**You have tried, Sasuke Uchiha. But tell me, how long can the soul survive without a vessel? A soul that is constantly being consumed by the void."**

He froze. A soul without a vessel? Was that what he was in this space? But he could feel the chill in the air, his hand balling into a fist—the ache behind his eyes.

"**Connected, yet separated. If the physical form would be stabbed, then so would the spiritual form agonize in pain—the same in reverse. But in spirit, one lacks access to their more physical abilities. Have you tried it, Sasuke Uchiha? Have you attempted to draw on your energy source?"**

Focusing on his hand, Sasuke attempted to channel his chakra to call upon the technique he had used for years. The Chidori never formed. Not even a spark. Instead, he tried to draw on his new abilities. The darkness he absorbed after being forced into Remnant. Once again, nothing. No arm, no claw, not even the bubbling pools of black that would ooze from the stump before setting into what the shinobi desired.

"**Now, you understand. You may attempt to travel to your world, continue on the path if you can find it without the ability hidden in your eye. But it would be a short reunion with the homeland, and then, you will die. The only thing unknown is whether it will be your body that goes first or your soul."**

"And that would be a loss for you."

"**An inconvenience."** the voice corrected. **"Do not consider yourself so highly. While this conversation persists, my consciousness continues to spread within countless dimensions. You are replaceable."**

Anger bubbled within the Uchiha, "Then why choose us? Why force us into this mission if we're so _replaceable_?!"

"**Convenience. Was that not understood when I said losing you would be an inconvenience? Several worlds have those that would work just as well, but you, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki created a beacon that even my scattered self could catch. Saving myself the trouble of searching."**

Sasuke grit his teeth, "You play with our lives because it's easier for you?!"

"**I play with nothing. There are no games here, and I do not have the luxury of focusing my attention for longer than necessity dictates. I do not expect you to agree with what I have done. Only to keep alive a world my children have left to die and accomplish the mission I have tasked you with. Return to yourself, Sasuke Uchiha."**

* * *

Sasuke bolted upright as his eyes shot open. Ignoring the stabbing pain, he looked around to find himself no longer in the void, but laid out atop a sleeping bag inside what he was confident was a tent, if larger than average. To the point that little over a dozen more similar bedrolls were spread out, leaving some extra room in-between. The Uchiha's hand came up over his left eye. The pain worse than it had been in the void between worlds.

But had that even been real? The memory of it all hadn't been hazy. Winding up nowhere after attempting to pry open the rift and leaving his body behind. Meeting that thing. That god. It was the only thing that made sense, as much as none of it did. Was it similar to Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra and creator of multiple dimensions of her own? Or something more?

And it wanted Naruto and him to clean up its kin's mistakes.

His fist balled up, anger coursing through him. He didn't give a damn what the _god _wanted. The ravenette had been able to break through the rift it had attempted to block off, even if just partially. All Sasuke needed was more power.

The shinobi fished out his scroll from his pocket, making a call to the sole number. A whiskered face appearing almost immediately, "Sasuke?"

"Who else would be calling from my scroll?"

"No one. Not even you. We've just been passing messages back and forth since you left."

_More you than me_, Sasuke felt like retorting. The importance of the recent meeting pushed that thought to the side.

"Then you know there's a reason," Naruto went silent. "I'm at Greenside Village, where we first appeared. I found something."

"A way home?" his friend's face lit up in excitement.

"Yes, and no."

A brief silence, "I like the yes part. Not so much the last bit."

Sasuke reiterated his experience, telling how he attempted to open the rift and having the unfortunate pleasure of having met a deity. The job they had been given unknowingly and unwillingly.

"We're here for some mission," Naruto asked, "Not even because we're the right ones for it, but because we were the easiest to find? And it's to clean up the mistakes his kids made?"

Sasuke nodded.

"If it's not a crazy genocidal Goddess, it's a selfish and lazy God," the blonde grumbled. "Do we even know what exactly we're supposed to do? A _mission _can mean a lot of things."

"No, we don't."

"We don't? What the hell?! Our way home, and you didn't ask exactly what we're supposed to be fixing?"

"No, I didn't. Because we're not going to do it."

"I know you're pissed about this. I am too. But if it's our only way back-"

"It's not," Sasuke interrupted. "It's his way of getting us back. I've already proven I can tear through whatever is holding us here."

"By ripping your soul from your body. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to go back in one piece."

"That was a lack of chakra," Sasuke defended. "If I had just a little more power, or if we combined ours, we could breakthrough."

Saphire eyes took on an edge, "Are you sure? And I mean one-hundred percent positive. A lot is riding on us getting back in one piece, Sasuke. Even if just one of us doesn't make it, the Elemental Nations will be stuck in the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

_As if it already wasn't with us stuck here_, the Uchiha wanted to retort. But his friend was right. They both needed to return, or it would be pointless. They'd be going back to a dead world. Was he sure they could both get back? Naruto shouldn't be an issue, continually taking in nature energy that would last him for some time in-between dimensions, but what about himself? His reserves, while large in their own right, were still much more limited. Especially in a void that would be constantly taking energy after he ripped an entrance open. The Uchiha would need more power. Fortunately, Remnant was crawling with sources of energy he could take for himself.

"Not yet," Sasuke finally said. "I need more power-"

"Sasuke-"

"And I can get that by absorbing the Grimm." he finished, Naruto breathing a sigh of relief. The irony of his power search now helping the world he was in, unlike the first time he had gone on the same hunt, was not lost on him. "But that's going to-"

"Oh, you're awake."

Sasuke's mouth snapped shut. He looked away from Naruto's image on the scroll to see who had just spoken. At the tent's entrance stood a black-haired woman with amber eyes and cat ears, wearing an outfit of black with white lining.

"Who are you?"

The woman stepped forward, arms at her side, but not tensed or ready to attack. "Is that how you thank someone for saving your life?"

Saved his life? Was she talking about when he passed out down in that pit? "I wouldn't have died from that."

"Maybe, maybe not," she said as she bent down and reached for his face. "But Sienna was worried for you, and she was stuck down there as well. Now stay still."

"Who's Sie-" Sasuke ended the call before Naruto could finish his question. He dropped the scroll and snatched the woman's wrist in his hand.

She looked at the appendage that held her and then back to him, "I'm just checking your eyes. They were bleeding when we found you."

Bleeding? Did the Rinnegan get strained opening the rift, or was it a rebound effect from contesting with a god's powers? "I'm used to it."

"Used to your eyes, bleeding?" he nodded. "Is that an effect of your semblance, or a disease?"

Sasuke said nothing.

She continued to look into his eyes for a minute before she sighed and backed away, Sasuke releasing her as she did. "Fine. But you might want to think of explaining that to Sienna. The poor girl was worried sick when you collapsed."

"Where is she?"

"Outside, training with our leader," she told him. "We're the Menagerie Guard, in case you were wondering. My name is Kali, assistant to Commander Leona. And your name is Sasuke Uchiha?"

"It is," he confirmed. "Though, if Sienna told you my name, why ask?"

"For confirmation, and make sure there aren't any memory problems or possible brain damage."

Kali still wanted to play doctor even when he wouldn't let her near his eyes. That was fine. She was free to waste her time however she wanted. "Why would the Menagerie Guard be outside of Menagerie?"

"Not all of us are," she told him. "We would never leave our home undefended, but neither can we leave our citizens to defend themselves even away from Menagerie."

"So, you're traveling with civilians?"

The dark-haired woman shook her head, "Not exactly. The son of Menagerie's Chieftain is the head of the White Fang. You know of them?"

Sasuke nodded, "A faunus rights group." It was recent history. Angered at humans attempting to place all faunus on an island to themselves, who were probably overly proud of their backhanded naming sense, the faunus retaliated. At the end of the revolution, they were allowed to settle in the four kingdoms as well. Not without some problems from the human populace, though.

"Peaceful activists wanting equality for faunus," Kali elaborated. "Not through force, but protests."

The Uchiha scoffed. Change without force was an impossibility. Even the blond idiot didn't use only his words to change the minds of his enemies. A fist, kunai, and more shadow clones than logically possible supported him.

"He's a good man," Kali smiled. "His fiance, our leader, nor I believe it's a bad way to think."

"And that's why you're here. To protect the White Fang, who prefer words over action."

"Close, but still not there. There's usually a small guard that support the White Fang from Menagerie, but most of the supporters come from inside the kingdoms. A while ago, members of the White Fang came under attack. The guards were killed, but the rest was kidnapped by what we believe to be slave traders. One of those taken was our leader's sister, Scarlett."

"A rescue mission, then," she grimaced and looked away.

"An attempt. The Menagerie Guard is a smaller group than what the Kingdoms can come up with, and we can't just take all of them with us. Then we're split into smaller groups to follow more leads. We have fifteen members in our group, and that's the largest. Our scouts have discovered a hideout that we hoped Scarlett was, but..."

"She's dead." It wasn't hard to figure out. The woman's expression told him that. "Why tell me all of this?"

"Your little companion told us you were helping find her mom," Kali's eyes met his. "We have the same goal-"

"We don't," Sasuke interrupted. Her eyes widened, as he explained. "I'm not here to save the faunus. I have my own objective. It's true I promised to find Sienna's mom, but what happens after is none of my business."

"How can you be so-"

"Selfish?" she bristled as he finished for her. "What about you? You unload all of this on to me, believing I'd help you. As if what you want is all that matters."

"What _we_ want is to save lives!"

"I have lives to save, too," he admitted. For her sake or his own, he wasn't sure. "And the people counting on me are in more danger than yours."

Sasuke stood up, "We all have our battles. Don't try to drag me into yours."

"A little late for that," a voice called from behind Kali. The tent's opening moved aside to welcome in Sienna, looking anywhere but him, and a scarlet haired woman he somewhat recognized. If Sienna being with her was anything to go by, this was the leader of the Menagerie Guard. Leona.

"You made a promise to our little friend here," the scarlet haired woman said, laying a hand between Sienna's feline ears. "And that little promise means you're going to have to hunt down the slavers, including the ones we've been hunting."

"Then, her mother will be found." Even to him, that sounded naive. There was no guarantee the first he ran into would have her. The probability of that was extremely low.

"You don't believe that," Leona said. "There's a chance, sure, but there's even more of a chance she won't be. Then you'll have to keep on searching, while at the same time saving _our _people's lives. You could just skip over some hideouts and slavers, but what if one of those you chose not to look over was where the girl's mom was?"

Sasuke frowned, getting her point and seeing where it was going. "And since I can't take that chance, I'll be wiping out your enemies while saving your people."

"_We_," she corrected. "We will be wiping them out. We're not so useless as to make some stranger shoulder that task alone. Nor trust you too."

That was something he couldn't allow to happen. Tracking down this organization would be time-consuming on its own. Having to travel with a group even more so. "I don't need you."

The scarlet woman smirked, "But you do. We have the location of the target's hideout. Our group was on the way there before the girl here screamed for help. That was help for you, by the way. Without us, you'll have no idea where to go."

"Then show me," he demanded. "On a map. I'll have it done before nightfall."

She put a finger to her chin, "That's quite the claim. Especially since it's already evening." The woman looked down at Sienna, "You've been traveling with him. Can he do it?"

The girl looked to him, tracing over Sasuke, who was without his usual cloak and sword, set off to the side. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Sienna shook her head, "I've never seen him fight."

"Not once?" the woman asked, surprised. "Even against the Grimm?"

"We never ran into any," she told them. "He's been training me, but I've never seen him do anything other than that."

They hadn't run into any because Sasuke had ordered them away.

"Interesting," the woman's eyes looked at him with more curiosity than before. "That aside, I can't just throw someone whose combat experience is unknown out on their own. Even if you look to have seen your fair share of battles." The last bit added with a nod to where his arm once was.

Battle was one way to put it. He'd seen war. The genocide of his clan. The training of a man who wanted his body. Killing his brother, and then the man who orchestrated the genocide in the first place. And the sealing of the progenitor of chakra.

What were some no-named abductors to add on to that list?

Kali had taken the chance to stand beside the woman and Sienna, "And I don't think I could trust that person with the welfare of a child."

His glare met her's, but she didn't back down. Instead, she gripped onto the girl's shoulder even as Sienna began to look even more uncomfortable. The woman and Kali believed they had won, that they had cornered him into playing their game by their rules. But he had nothing to gain from this. It was a waste of time, and if Sienna decided to go with them, then that was her choice. Why would he be bothered by it?

"_I never go back on my word!"_

"Fine," Sasuke conceded. "You just need to see me fight, correct?"

"Yep, a small demonstration," the woman grinned. "You can even choose your opponent."

"All of you."

The quick decision shocked the three faunus, but Sasuke wanted this to be over with and taking out the entire group would be easy enough. Also, there could be no one to say it was a fluke or raise a fuss if he defeated someone weaker then another member.

Kali was the first to collect herself, "You arrogant-"

"I agree to this," Leona interrupted, grinning from ear to ear.

"You can not be serious!"

"Why not? He thinks he can take us all on, and I haven't been able to shut down a cocky brat since Ghira and I were kids."

"Bernard challenges you every time we set up camp."

"I said a cocky brat, not a kibble-for-brains idiot."

Kali huffed a complaint under her breath but nodded her consent. Sasuke's eyes met Sienna's, who were still wide, possibly from his challenge to the entire Menagerie Guard in camp. He had to wonder if she was so curious about how strong he was, why hadn't she brought it up? If she thought he was weak, why train under him without proof of his strength.

It mattered little now. Sasuke would fight, and they would all be shown how far above them he was.

* * *

She stood on the right side of Leona, more than arm's length out. Bernard on the left at the same distance, with Saber Rodentia, a gerbil faunus recruit barely managing to join the Guard for this Search & Rescue mission, on the dog faunus's side. With eleven more members, the fifteen of them encircled the arrogant boy. Kali knew how there couldn't be much of a difference between them in age, a year or two at most, but his attitude just proved how much of a child he was.

There were those like Bernard, loud and overly-confident. Little to no planning in anything they did, just action constantly. And then there was Sasuke's type. The brooding self-important children who believe they stood above everyone else. The bastard didn't even look anxious at being surrounded and un-equipped. His own doing, of course, saying something foolish like _"I don't need my sword for this."_

It was infuriating how quickly he was to dismiss them as worth so little effort.

"Anything goes," Leona called. "Weapons of any type, semblances, even throwing dirt in someone's eyes. It doesn't matter as long as victory is achieved. The fight will go on until a fighter's aura breaks or is knocked out. Any questions?"

"Is there supposed to be some kind of handicap?" Saber asked. A good soldier, if timid, and Kali could guess he wasn't comfortable with an all-out attack against an unarmed foe that wasn't their enemy.

"I'm already not using my sword."

That concern went entirely over the asshole's head. Kali always tried for a peaceful approach. She understood some times force was a necessity but preferred calmer ways of solving her problems. Now, she'd admit to the eagerness of knocking that haughty attitude out of him. Kali had a feeling he had that effect on a lot of people.

"Does that answer your question?" Leona asked Saber, who nodded. Not seemingly angered by Sasuke's reaction, but not as uncomfortable with overwhelming him as the recruit had been.

"Then let's begin!"

As the words left her, as one, the entire troop drew their weapons. Each with a type of firearm. Her own being pistol with a blade attached to the underside of the barrel. Simultaneously, triggers were pulled as bullets and projectiles of all types rained down on the man in the center. A rule of combat, make use of every advantage one has. Their opponent had no ranged weapon. Since he used a simple sword as his weapon of choice, with no mecha-shift component, the possibility of his semblance being something to over-come the difference was probable, but being attacked from all directions would make it difficult to use.

Kali didn't believe this would be the end of it. He'd either tank the shots and go on the offensive, with semblance or closing the distance. Or he'd dodge. Either way, it would take him time. The time that they could use against him.

Her thoughts came to a halt as at once, the entire Guards' ranged assault was repelled and sent back to where they had come. The quicker members, herself included, were able to dodge away, but Kali didn't think for a moment all of the Guard got away unscathed. The dirt had been torn up as screams of surprise and pain sounded out. Kali, landing on her feet, tried to look around the battlefield. A smokescreen of dust had obscured her vision, and she took relief in knowing their opponent's line of sight would be cut off as well.

Little wonder why he didn't use a gun now. With a repulsion semblance, Sasuke could use the opponent's armaments against them, leaving him able to focus his skills on more personal confrontations. Face-to-face. Kali readied herself, expecting him to come from either her front or one of the sides. Her body ran cold, her feline ears shivering from the voice that spoke into them.

"You're the last."

She never had the chance to defend herself, too surprised at the ridiculousness of it all. If she was the last, had he already taken out all of the other fourteen, even Leona herself? How had he beaten them so fast?! How had he done so _and_ get behind her? Kali's head turned, wide amber eyes meeting his mismatched expressionless orbs. There wasn't a pleased smile. There wasn't a cocky smirk. Just the same boredom he had before the match had even begun. He hadn't been arrogant. No, he already knew the outcome before the fight had even started.

As the darkness came for her, his knife hand robbing Kali of her consciousness, she had one final thought.

_I really hate him._

* * *

**Sasuke... Bro... We really need to work on your first impressions.**

**Oh, and gods or something. I'm sure it's not important.**

**Until next time. Stay well.**


End file.
